On September 13, 2004, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov of the Russian government met in the government building with State Councillor Chen Zhili, who was in Russia to host the Fifth Session of the Cooperation Committee on Education, Culture, Health and Sports between the Chinese government and the Russian government.

Chen Zhili first expressed her condolences once again over the series of terrorist events that took place and inflicted heavy casualties in Russia in recent days. She stressed that the Chinese government resolutely supports Russia to combat Chechen terrorism and would like to work along with Russia to jointly safeguard peace and harmony.

Prime Minister Fradkov thanked Chinese top leaders, the Chinese government and people of various circles for the support and assistance offered to Russia in the fight against terrorism, adding that the international community should unify its action in eradicating the consequences brought about by terrorism and preventing the spread of terrorism.

Chen Zhili said that the Chinese government gives priority to developing good-neighborly, friendly and cooperative relations with Russia. In recent years, China-Russia relations have reached one new level after another. With top-level exchanges being frequent and mutual political trust increasingly enhanced, the two countries support each other in issues involving their respective great concern, have conducted pragmatic cooperation in an all-round way and have witnessed increasingly active non-governmental exchanges. The two sides are also keeping closer cooperation in international affairs. She stressed that to continuously deepen China-Russia cooperation in various fields is fully in the fundamental interest of the two peoples. To continuously enrich the content of China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership is the common objective and task of the two sides and China will make unremitting efforts towards that end.

Chen Zhili said that during her visit, she will hold discussions and make well-thought plans jointly with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov on cooperation in humanism areas of the two countries in the next stage so as to make China-Russia cooperation in education, culture, health and sports more colorful and fruitful and lay down a more solid foundation for China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership.

Prime Minister Fradkov said that as neighbors, Russia and China have great potentials and broad prospects for deepened cooperation in humanism areas. Russia supports the mutual establishment of cultural centers in each other's country, holding cultural festivals regularly, learning the language of each other and actively carrying out cooperation in health, publication, television, movie, news, sports and archives. The Cooperation Committee on Education, Culture, Health and Sports between the two governments can have a greater role to play in this regard by serving as a bridge.

On the same day, Chen Zhili visited the Kurchatov Atomic Energy Institute and went to the Embassy of China to Russia to call on the working staff of the Embassy and representatives of Chinese-invested institutions and overseas students.