RUSSIA sees relations with China as a top priority and their ties now are the best ever, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Chinese media released by the Kremlin ahead of his arrival in Shanghai today.

“China is our reliable friend,” Putin said. “To expand cooperation with China is undoubtedly Russia’s diplomatic priority.”

China is already Russia’s largest single trading partner, with bilateral trade of US$90 billion in 2013, and the two neighbors aim to more than double that to US$200 billion by the end of the decade, according to Xinhua news agency.