Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing last night on a two-day state visit for talks with his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping.
The visit comes less than a week after US President Donald Trump wrapped up his Beijing trip.
The Kremlin has said the two Presidents will discuss economic cooperation between the two countries and key international and regional issues. The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.
Putin’s two day visit is being considered important as Beijing seeks to maintain stable relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with Russia.
Chinese soldiers stood in position as a military band played the Russian and Chinese national anthems for the leaders in central Beijing. Children waving Russian and Chinese flags and cheered “Welcome, welcome!” in Chinese, before the pair entered the Great Hall.
Xi and Putin then attended a signing ceremony for numerous documents spanning technology, trade, scientific research, and intellectual property. Among the documents, according to Chinese state media, was an extension of the “China-Russia treaty of good neighbourliness and friendly cooperation”, first signed 25 years ago.