Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have begun talks with the expanded circle of delegates in the Alexander Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
After the negotiations, the two leaders will sign documents and make statements for the media. The program of the visit will end with a state dinner in the Palace of the Facets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence on Tuesday that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing will develop for the benefit of the two countries’ peoples.
"I am convinced that our multifaceted, mutually advantageous cooperation will continue to strengthen and develop dynamically for the benefit of the peoples of our countries," the Russian president said at talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping with an expanded circle of delegates.
Putin once again called the Chinese president his friend, turning the floor over to him.
Earlier on Tuesday, Xi Jinping met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Later, the Chinese leader held talks with Putin and the limited circle of delegates, which lasted one hour and a half.
The Russian delegation includes Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aides Maxim Oreshkin and Yury Ushakov, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev, and Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov.
The talks with other delegates will include First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Rosatov chief Alexey Likhachev, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, Deputy Chief of the Presidential Foreign Policy Directorate Denis Agafonov.
The Chinese president is paying a state visit to Russia on March 20-22. On Monday he held an informal one-on-one meeting with Putin that lasted about four and a half hours.
