STATEMENT ON THE SINO-RUSSIAN BORDER.

Moscow and Beijing committed themselves yesterday to strict observance of the May 1991 and September 1994 agreements regulating the demarcation of their joint border. They pledged to complete the border survey as quickly as possible and agreed to continue negotiations on those issues not yet resolved by the border agreements. (Xinhua, April 25) Opposition to the border demarcation, which brings with it the transfer to China of several parcels of Russian land, has been vehemently opposed by political forces in the Russian Far East. Yeltsin tried to defuse that potentially embarrassing development during a stopover in Khabarovsk prior to his arrival in Beijing. (See Monitor, April 25) On the issue of reducing military forces along the Sino-Russian border, Jiang said merely that China continues to negotiate the issue with Russia and hopes for an agreement soon. A Russian source suggested that the talks had been friendly but "complicated." (Xinhua & Interfax, April 25)

Trade and Cooperation Agreements Reached.