Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (right) meets with Uzbek President Islam Karimo (left) in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan on Friday, Nov. 2, 2007. [Photo: Xinhua]
When visiting Russia, the Chinese Premier met with Russian leaders. The two sides reached an agreement on further developing strategic partnerships between the two countries and signed a series of documents as well.
Wen also attended the closing ceremony for the "Year of China" in Moscow on Tuesday. He said at the ceremony that the national year intensified the Sino-Russian friendship and boosted mutually beneficial cooperation between the two neighbors.
"It's an important measure for China and Russia to host the national years, which were expected to build up friendship for generations between the two peoples and promote strategic partnership all- around."
Regarding the Premier's official visits to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Belarus, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that the three countries all paid great honor to Wen's visit. China agreed with the three countries to promote governmental and constitutional-level communications.
China's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, successfully completed its more than 1.5 million-kilometer journey to the moon and entered its working orbit this week.
The probe started its third round of braking Wednesday morning and entered into a 127-minute circular orbit.
Tong Bin is the assistant chief engineer with the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
"The satellite entered its proper working orbit at the right time and very accurately today. The probe will travel along its orbit at an altitude of 200 km above the moon's surface."
Chang'e-1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, blasted off from the Long March 3A carrier rocket on October 24.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced Thursday that general elections would be held by February 15 next year. He pledged to quit as army chief before taking the oath as Pakistan's president.
He made the remarks after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council at the Presidential house in Islamabad.
"The issue of elections, there is no doubt in my mind; elections must be held as soon as possible. Now that we calculated all the actions, elections in Pakistan must be held before February 15, 2008. As for the issue of my uniform, I have never been in doubt. This is the third stage of transition and I must remove my uniform."
Musharraf said he was committed to holding general elections and the transition to full democratic civilian rule in Pakistan.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has assured the US Congress that his country is the friend of the United States.
He spoke through an interpreter to lawmakers gathered in the chamber of the House of Representatives for a Joint Meeting of Congress.
"Since the United States first appeared on the world scene, our two people, the French and American people have always been friends. And the vicissitudes of history of both our countries reinforced this friendship."
Sarkozy's visit is thought to open a new, cosier chapter in the bilateral relations.
And that concludes this edition of . If you have any comments or suggestions, or would like to listen to any of our programs online, you can visit our website at: . I'm Chi Wenjie in Beijing. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned for more on China Radio International.