MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that relations between Russia and China are a crucial factor for global stability.

"The development of Russia-China relations is progressing steadily and consistently," Putin said when answering a question from Xinhua at the annual press conference.

Putin said that the two countries have engaged in cooperation across various fields, and bilateral trade volume amounts to 240-250 billion U.S. dollars.

Putin noted that it is gratifying to see that Russia-China cooperation has also made headway in such fields as high-tech manufacturing, science and education, cultural and humanitarian exchanges, and space exploration.

"I hope that we will continue to advance our relations with our Chinese friends in this vein, both in the near term and in the long-term historical perspective," he added. Enditem