BEIJING, May 16. /TASS/. Informal talks between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Xi Jinping of China are over.
Their meeting took place behind closed doors at the Zhongnanhai government residence. Putin and Xi, accompanied by two interpreters, first took a stroll in its park. Xi took his guest down an alley along a lake. Later, the presidents sat down in wicker chairs outdoors to drink tea.
This was followed by an informal lunch, where each of the leaders was joined by four delegation members. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov.
The informal negotiations lasted over four hours. In various events, Putin and Xi spent more than 12 hours together. In addition, the Russian president also held a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang.