New Chinese leader calls Russia visit successful

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chinese leader Xi Jinping continued his debut three-day trip to Russia calling it already successful on Saturday, March 23, according to RIA Novosti.

At a meeting with the State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin in Moscow on Saturday, Xi stressed out the importance of a wide number of many agreements reached and deals signed during the first day of his visit.

“This is the first foreign visit of China’s [new leader]. It means that the relations with Russia have a prior significance for China,” Naryshkin told reporters during the meeting. “Believe me, cooperation with China is also a priority for Russia,” Naryshkin added.

The Chinese leader said Saturday that they had spent over seven hours with Presidnet Vladimir Putin on Friday, the first day of his of his first trip to Russia.

On Friday, Putin and Xi oversaw the signing of a tentative agreement between Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation to cooperate in the annual supply of up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas to China. The countries also signed about three dozen of other deals on cooperation in banking, energy and rabbit husbandry.

On his second day in Russia Xi also went to meet with students of prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where he spoke about Russia and China’s joint role in international affairs.

“Russia and China should strengthen strategic cooperation on the international scene, together defend the UN principle regulations and secure peace and stability,” Xi told the students."We agreed [with Putin] to enhance mutual support,” he added.