MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Beijing and Moscow are friendly neighbors and reliable partners, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday upon his arrival in the Russian capital on a state visit.
"It gives me great pleasure to once again set foot on the soil of Russia, our friendly neighbor, and pay a state visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin," the Chinese leader said.
"On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I wish to extend warm greetings and best wishes to the Russian government and people," he added. "China and Russia are friendly neighbors and reliable partners connected by shared mountains and rivers," Xi Jinping stressed.
"Ten years ago, I paid my first state visit to Russia as Chinese President, and together with President Putin, opened a new chapter in the all-round development of China-Russia relations," the president said.
"Over the past decade, our two countries have consolidated and grown the bilateral relationship on the basis of no-alliance, no-confrontation and not targeting any third party, and set a fine example for developing a new model of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation," he stressed.
The two countries have deepened political mutual trust, expanded practical cooperation and they continue close and efficient cooperation on the global arena, the Chinese leader went on to say.
China and Russia have "forged a longstanding friendship" between their peoples," Xi stressed. "The growth of China-Russia relations has not only brought tangible benefits to the people of our two countries, but also made important contributions to the development and progress of the world," he said.