Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Russia on Monday for a state visit, a TASS correspondent reported.
The Chinese leader's plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport around 12:59 Moscow time.
According to TASS, the Chinese Hongqi (Red Banner) car waits for the country’s president outside the airport.
Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia will last from March 20 to 22. The Russian Federation is the first country the Chinese leader has visited since his March 10 reelection to a third term by the National People's Congress (parliament). According to diplomatic protocol, state visit is the highest in the gradation of foreign visits.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will hold face-to-face talks in the Kremlin on Monday afternoon. The talks will continue on March 21, when the leaders will be joined by members of delegations. In addition, Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Tuesday morning. Ushakov also noted that the visit would be strictly a business visit, "there will be no additional protocol stuff, the main thing is negotiations, negotiations and negotiations."
