BEIJING, October 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed that he spent about 1.5-2 hours talking to Chinese leader Xi Jinping having tea and discussing certain issues of "particularly confidential nature."

"We had a business lunch in limited attendance, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs was present, aides were present on both sides - and then Chairman Xi offered to talk in private," the president said, answering reporters’ questions on his visit to China. "We had a tete-a-tete conversation, indeed, as you imagine, having a cup of tea. We spoke for about an hour and a half or maybe two hours, and we discussed some issues of particularly confidential nature in private."

According to the Russian leader, it was a very productive and substantial part of the conversation.

This is the second meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping this year. Earlier in March, the Chinese leader arrived in Russia with a state visit. Previously, Putin visited China in February of 2022 to take part in the opening ceremony of the winter Olympics.

The Belt and Road forum, which took place on October 17 and 18 in Beijing, was attended by over 4,000 people from over 140 countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived as the event’s main guest.