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Chinese president to visit Russia March 22–24

As was reported by the Kremlin press service

MOSCOW, March 18 (Itar-Tass) – Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia on March 22 to 24 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin press service reports on Monday.

It is expected “that the heads of state will discuss at talks key issues of bilateral cooperation, including economic, trade, energy, investment, technological and industrial cooperation, as well as inter-regional and humanitarian cooperation,” the press service said.

Also on the agenda “is a wide range of topical international and regional issues – the Middle East and North Africa, including the Syrian crisis, the development of the situation around Iran and Afghanistan, developments on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia as a whole,” it added.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will take part in a ceremony unveiling the Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia.

Over the recent years, Russia and China have been actively developing cooperation in the oil and gas sectors as well as cooperation on atomic energy, high technologies and coal trade. According to forecasts of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, trade between Russia and China this year will exceed 100 billion dollars. Last year Russian-Chinese trade grew 11.6 percent, amounting to 88.1 billion dollars.

Last week, a Russian delegation discussed in China a possibility to increase deliveries of energy resources. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said, in particular, that the sides consider a possible increase in the amount of supplies through the Skovorodino-Mohe oil pipeline, the eastern route”.

“Attention will be also paid to deepening further coordinated actions within the framework of the United Nations and other multi-lateral format – the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, G20, APEC,” Kremlin sources said.

Russia will be the first country the Chinese leader will visit after being approved as President at a session of the National People’s Congress on March 14.

It will become the first stopover on his tour that will continue till March 30. Xi Jinping will also pay state visits to Tanzania, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In South Africa he will take part in the fifth summit of the BRICS group of states bringing together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

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