MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. China remains to be Russia’s closest strategic partner, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said in an interview with TASS.

"It is extremely important for us that the APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] Summit is hosted by China, as Beijing is our closest strategic partner and largest neighbor, and relations with it, thanks to the personal care of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, have reached an unprecedented level in the history of our ties," Rudenko told TASS.

President Vladimir Putin is expected to lead the Russian delegation at the APEC summit, scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, southern China.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev, this demonstrates the importance Russia attaches to developing economic ties with its partners in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly China.