MOSCOW, March 23 (RIA Novosti) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping continued his debut three-day trip to Russia on Saturday praising the results and closer ties with Moscow.
"From my point of view, my visit has already reached its aim. The results have far exceeded my expectations," Xi told Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev during their Saturday meeting in comments translated into Russian.
Medvedev called Xi’s visit to Russia “a symbolic event.” Their meeting has held at Medvedev’s Gorky residence outside Moscow.
Earlier on Saturday the new Chinese leader met with the State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin stressing out the importance of some three dozen agreements 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 that he had spent over seven hours with President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the first day of his first trip abroad in new office.
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 reached 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.
(Updates earlier version of the story with comment by Xi and Medvedev)
