MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will award Chinese leader Xi Jinping with the Order of St. Andrew for his distinguished service to the peoples of China and Russia, Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
"I would particularly like to note that during his visit to Russia, Xi Jinping will be awarded with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First Called by our president," he said. "According to a presidential decree, Xi Jinping will be awarded with the Order for his distinguished service to the peoples of China and Russia," he said adding that the ceremony will take place after high-level talks.
The Russian presidential aide also said that the next meeting between the Russian and Chinese presidents was planned to take place on July 6, when the leaders of the BRICS Group (involving Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg. After that, Putin and Xi will meet at the BRICS summit scheduled to be held in China on September 3-5.
On July 4, the Chinese president is scheduled to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The parties will discuss the entire range of issues concerning bilateral cooperation, as well as key global and regional issues. According to Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the two leaders will also hold a meeting with representatives of the Russian and Chinese public, business circles and media.
On the same day, Xi Jinping will hold talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The parties are expected to exchange views on cooperation in trade, investment, the energy sector, industries, transport infrastructure and agriculture.
Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Huilai said earlier at a briefing that agreements totaling around $10 bln were planned to be signed during Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia.