BEIJING, May 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping continued their informal communication at the Zhongnanhai government residence.
Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov called this part of the visit the most important. According to him, the leaders will first have a one-on-one meeting, walk in the park near the palace and drink tea. "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," Ushakov half-jokingly said at a briefing before the visit.
The tea party will be followed by an informal dinner. It will be held in the 1+4 format on each side. Putin will be joined by top diplomat Sergey Lavrov and top defense official Andrey Belousov, as well as top security official Sergey Shoigu and Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov.
As Putin himself noted, during the evening meeting he and Xi Jinping will discuss "the whole range of the foreign policy agenda," including the situation in Ukraine.
All informal events will be held behind closed doors, their duration is not regulated.
Earlier, the two leaders held talks in Beijing with a limited circle of delegates and with the expanded circle of delegates. They also took part in several events together, including a gala concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the Russian-Chinese Years of Culture.