Li: Strong China-Russia relationship in everyone's interest

As neighbors, a stable and amicable relationship between China and Russia is in the interest of both countries as well as the world, Premier Li Keqiang said.

Li made the remarks at a press conference after the conclusion of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress on Tuesday.

China-Russia trade relations have experienced a "saddle-shaped" change in previous years, due to phenomena like the change in the global trade situation and a drop in global commodity prices, Li said.

Trade relations between China and Russia reversed last year, he said, adding bilateral trade increased more than 20 percent, still with great potential.

The bilateral trade scale between China and Russia stands at about $80 billion, and the two countries could continue to innovate, tapping into potential and bumping it up to $100 billion, he said.