TRADE AND COOPERATION AGREEMENTS REACHED.

In addition to the joint communique on a strategic partnership, Russia and China signed more than a dozen agreements yesterday. They included: creation of a telephone hotline between Moscow and Beijing; cooperation on intellectual property rights, currency control, and anti-monopoly policy; cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and in broader development of the energy sector; cooperation in space exploration; cooperation in environmental protection; a protocol aimed at increasing bilateral trade; an agreement on assuring the quality of imported and exported goods; and cooperation in the fight against illegal drug trafficking. Nuclear safety agreements are to be signed by both countries. (Reuter, April 25)

Russian Bankers Put Pressure on Presidential Hopefuls.