President Xi Jinping to begin state visit to Russia

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to begin a state visit to Russia on Friday at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be the new Chinese President’s first overseas visit.Xi Jinping will attend nearly 20 meetings, including talks with President Putin, meetings with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and other Russian officials. The two presidents are expected to exchange views on a series of important issues, including bilateral relations and major international and regional issues. Deals on boosting oil trade and building a natural gas pipeline will top the agenda. Russia’s ambassador to China says the Chinese President will receive the highest treatment and the two sides will also sign a series of agreements.Sergey Razov, Russian Ambassador to China, said, "Cooperation agreements will be signed between our governments and enterprises. The most important document is the Joint declaration which will be announced by the presidents of the two countries."Cheng Guoping, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, said, "The visit will be a milestone in promoting and deepening Sino-Russia strategic partnership of coordination. It is of great significance not only for the bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, culture and security, but also for maintaining a global strategic balance. "