Leaders call for Ukraine peace talks

The three-day trip, described by Xi as one of friendship, cooperation and peace, marked his ninth visit to Russia since he first became Chinese president in March 2013.

The relationship between the two nations is built upon robust economic and trade cooperation, with bilateral trade hitting a record high of $190.27 billion in 2022, up 29.3 percent year-on-year. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years.

During a one-on-one meeting with Putin on Monday upon his arrival, Xi said it is a strategic choice China has made to consolidate and develop China-Russia relations well on the basis of its own fundamental interests and prevailing global trends.

Beijing remains steadfast in keeping to the general direction of strengthening strategic cooperation with Russia, he said.