BEIJING, December 15. /TASS/. Chinese President Xi Jinping referred to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as his ‘old friend’ in a virtual summit on Wednesday and revealed how many meetings they have held since 2013.

"Dear President Putin, my old friend, I am very pleased to conduct the second videoconference with you this year and our meeting is the 37th since 2013," he said.

The previous video conference between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping took place on June 28, 2021, timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Russian-Chinese Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Following this meeting, the treaty was prolonged.