SHANGHAI, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are holding negotiations in Shanghai, China’s largest city.
The Russian leader arrived Tuesday on an official visit to China where he will also take part in the opening of joint military exercises and the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.
Putin is expected to meet with the representatives of business circles from both Russia and China.
A welcoming ceremony was held for the Russian president before the formal talks started. The negotiations will later continue in a broader format involving delegations.
The Russian-Chinese talks are expected to result in the signing of a large package of documents, including bilateral, intergovernmental, inter-departmental and corporate agreements.
During the visit, Russia’s energy giant Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) are due to sign a deal for deliveries of 38 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas over the next 30 years to power the booming Chinese economy.