On Wednesday, the opening ceremony of the Year of China-Russia Local Cooperation and Exchange took place in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province.

The activity had been mentioned in Chinese President Xi Jinping's 2018 New Year greetings to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and the coming two years are designated for local cooperation and exchange between the two countries.

Before the ceremony, Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev had a short meeting at the Sun Island Hotel.

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin both sent congratulatory messages to the opening ceremony.

"I believe the activity will further promote bilateral cooperation and tap potential, which can provide power for sustained, healthy and stable development of the relationship between the two countries," said Xi in his message.