Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday he was confident his visit to Russia would give “new impetus” to relations with Moscow, after stepping off his plane onto the airport tarmac in the Russian capital.
“I am convinced that this visit will be fruitful and that it will give new impetus to the healthy and stable development of Sino-Russian relations,” said the Chinese leader, quoted by Russian news agencies, describing Beijing and Moscow as “good neighbours” and “reliable partners”.
According to him, China is “ready to stand firmly with Russia” in favor of “genuine multilateralism” and “multipolarity in the world”.
For his first visit to Russia since 2019, Xi Jinping was welcomed Monday on the tarmac of Moscow’s Vnukovo airport by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernychenko before listening to Russian and Chinese anthems played by a military orchestra and in front of a honor guard.
On the occasion of this three-day official visit, Xi will hold an informal meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday before more formal negotiations on Tuesday.
The two leaders will discuss in particular the plan proposed last month by Beijing to settle the conflict in Ukraine, seen with skepticism by Westerners but which kyiv has said it is ready to discuss.
More details will follow.
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