China, Russia sign 27 trade contracts

China and Russia have signed 27 trade contracts worth 15 billion US dollars, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said. Li attended the signing ceremony of the contracts before a meeting on China-Russia trade and investment, according to China's (Xinhua) news agency. Addressing the meeting, Li proposed that both China and Russia endeavor together to further promote their trade and economic cooperation. The two countries could expand their cooperation in various fields, including finance, direct investment, energy, mechanical and electronic products, he said. China is the top trade partner of Russia. Bilateral trade volume reached 79.25 billion US dollars in 2011, up 42.7% year-on-year.