MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. The informal meeting of the Russian and Chinese heads of state will be held in the format of '1+4' on each side, it will be completely closed, Kremlin aide for international affairs Yury Ushakov told reporters.
"There will be talks with a very limited circle of delegates," he said. "It is quite significant that we have invited the new Defense Minister [Andrey] Belousov, who together with [Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov and myself will participate in this very limited circle of delegates meeting on the evening of May 16," Ushakov said. "Also, of course, in continuation of our previous contacts with our Chinese colleagues, we have included Security Council Secretary [Sergey] Shoigu in the delegation. He will also be part of the 1+4 format," the spokesman added.
According to the presidential aide, the meeting will take place after a gala concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries and the opening of the Years of Culture of Russia and China. According to him, Putin and Xi Jinping will talk to each other for 45 minutes, the leaders will also walk in the park and have a tea party. "Tentatively at 7:15 p.m. there will be an informal dinner with Xi Jinping, which will be attended by 1+4 from each side. Quite a tight schedule," he said. At the same time, Ushakov pointed out that at the end of this meeting Putin will fly from Beijing to Harbin, but "when it is all over, it is even difficult to plan the time."
Speaking about the composition of the participants of the informal meeting, the aide emphasized that "that's all, unless something else comes up in the next few hours before the flight." Ushakov underscored that the official events planned during the state visit program play a big role, but "the most important will take place at the end of the first day." "The most important thing is to walk and drink tea, the most important thing in China is to drink tea, one-on-one, especially when there is such an opportunity," he hinted.