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Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich begins a four-day visit to China Tuesday. Its itinerary includes talks with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on the eve of the visit China believes the visit will consolidate political trust between the two countries, broaden the framework of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and raise bilateral relations to a new level.
The Presidential press service said earlier special attention will be paid to Ukrainian-Chinese cooperation in trade, investment, financing/borrowing, energy sector, agriculture, and research. The sides
will sign a range of documents in the energy sector, aircraft manufacturing, agriculture, and humanitarian cooperation.
Yanukovich said at the beginning of September during a visit to Ukraine by the First Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China that trade is the key element of Ukrainian-Chinese relations.
He indicated that the two countries had reached the previously specified objective to bring bilateral trade to $ 10 billion.
Yanukovich also stressed Ukraine's interest in a further intensification of political contacts with China at the highest and high levels.
The sides are expected to sign a treaty on friendship and cooperation between Ukraine and China and a program for the development of strategic partnership in the years 2013 through to 2017.
Also, Yanukovich will Xian, the administrative center of Shanxi province in the northwest of China where he will meet with local officials and business quarters and will also call into the famous terracotta army museum.
In Beijing, he will take part in a business forum and will give an interview to Beijing International Radio.
His visit will take place against the continuing street action in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities over the decision of the Ukrainian government to suspend the signing of an agreement on association with the EU - a motion that the country's political opposition has described as the killing of the nation's European dream.
A protest action continued through the night on Independence Square in Kiev although it was apparently less intense than in the previous days.
Tuesday, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, the national parliament, is due to have a session where it will discuss, among other things, a vote of no-confidence in the government.
Tass
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