HARBIN -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, on Friday.

Han also read out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the expo and made a speech at the opening ceremony.

Han said that President Xi and President Putin met in Beijing on Thursday and jointly drew a new vision and blueprint for the development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations, Han said, noting that China and Russia have deepened political mutual trust and achieved fruitful economic and trade cooperation.

In 2023, the trade volume between China and Russia reached a record $240.1 billion, and China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The scale of two-way investment continues to grow, and cooperation on major projects in energy, chemical industry, aerospace and connectivity has made steady progress, said Han.