MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming trip to China emphasizes the special nature of relations between Moscow and Beijing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"The Russian president will soon make a state visit to the People's Republic of China, which will be his first foreign trip after his inauguration. A year earlier, the Chinese leader chose our country for his first foreign trip after his re-election as the Chinese president. This is vivid evidence of the special nature of the Russian-Chinese partnership, high personal attention to it on the part of the two countries' leaders, who maintain intensive working contacts and have developed a good personal friendship," the diplomat noted.

"There is no doubt that under the current tectonic changes in the international situation, accompanied by attempts by Western countries to hinder the sustainable development of our countries, Russia and China will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder against all external challenges and threats. This will allow us to successfully solve common tasks both in the field of bilateral cooperation and global governance," Zakharova added.

According to her, the Russian-Chinese relations after Putin's assumption of office "await the brightest prospects." "With [Putin's] re-election, the line on comprehensive strengthening of strategic interaction between Moscow and Beijing has been confirmed," the spokeswoman stressed.

Putin took office as Russian president for the fifth time. The inauguration ceremony opened his new presidential term on Tuesday. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told TASS the first visit of Putin's new presidential term will be to China.