MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping several times this year.

"This year we are planning a number of meetings with the president of the People’s Republic of China. In June we will have a SCO (summit) in China and my visit to the People’s Republic of China will be timed to it, then there will be a number of meetings on the sidelines of different major events - BRICS, G20 and APEC," Putin said at talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Putin said he was ready to communicate with the Chinese leader any time as and when necessary.

He congratulated China on the success of the National People’s Congress where, as he said, very important for the country decisions were made that the Chinese people will benefit from.

"I want to express hope that after the presidential election of the Russian Federation and after major domestic political events in the People’s Republic of China we will continue our policy towards strengthening bilateral ties and friendly relations," Putin said.

The Chinese foreign minister, for his part, reiterated condolences over the deadly mall fire in Kemerovo which killed 64 people. "As we are Russia’s friends, our hearts are heavy, we feel with the Russian people, and the president instructed me to once again convey a deep sympathy of the Chinese side," Wang Yi said.

He also passed on Xi Jinping’s congratulations on Putin’s winning the election, stressing that the results of the vote demonstrate a broad support for Putin and his high rating. "Your re-election meets the expectations of the Chinese side, corresponds with the needs of the development of Russian-Chinese relations. We are fully confident about Russia’s bright future under your leadership, and we are also fully confident about the bright future of the Russian-Chinese relations under the guidance of our leaders," the Chinese diplomat said.