Xi to hold video talks with Russian president

President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin via video link on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced on Friday.

The virtual meeting will be the latest interaction between the two leaders after they witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony of a bilateral nuclear energy cooperation project via video link last month. The two leaders have kept close contacts since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, Xi said earlier that he and Putin had agreed to advance bilateral relations to a higher level and expand ties to broader fields.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes unseen in a century, the two countries have firmly supported each other and cooperated closely and effectively, which is a vivid demonstration of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, he added.

In an interview with NBC News earlier this month, Putin said that relations between Beijing and Moscow remain at an "unprecedentedly high level" despite attempts by external forces to destroy the relationship.

Two-way trade between China and Russia has kept at levels above $100 billion for several years in a row. In the first four months of the year, bilateral trade exceeded $40 billion, a year-on-year increase of 19.8 percent and on track to set a record high for the whole year, according to the Foreign Ministry.