Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Da Nang, Vietnam, Nov. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

MOSCOW, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China topped a list of countries Russians viewed as the country's most necessary and valuable partner, a poll showed Thursday.

One third of the respondents chose China, followed by Belarus (13 percent) and the United States (8 percent), according to a survey conducted by Russian polling institute Public Opinion Foundation.

Russians made the decision because they thought China is a rapidly developing country with great economic opportunities.

Nearly half of the surveyed said cooperation with China is now the most important for the Russian economy, followed by Belarus (26 percent) and Germany (23 percent).

The pollster surveyed 1,500 Russian citizens aged 18 and above across the country on April 29.