No end for cooperation between China and Russia says President Xi

Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 4, 2017.[Photo: Xinhua]

With a number of key international topics under discussion, the two were talking about foreign policy issues and in particular, potential ways to de-escalate the situation on the Korean peninsula.

According Russian media, the two also spoke about economic commitments. Several investment funds were formed during the negotiations and both presidents discussed the initiative to streamline trade procedures in Eurasia.

The visit of the Chinese President to Moscow was also marked by several contracts being signed. President Putin said, "decisions have been made to increase the supply of Russian wheat, and the approval of the document on admitting other grain crops to China’s market is in the final stage."

Speaking on the meeting, President Xi said, "There is no end for our cooperation,"

"The two countries should... deepen political and strategic mutual trust, increase mutual support, strengthen strategic coordination, boost practical cooperation, and forge closer people-to-people and cultural links."

The meeting comes ahead of the G20 in Hamburg where Russia's President Putin will meet Donald Trump for the first time.

The meeting of world leaders is expected to be a tense occasion after Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement earlier in the year. At the time he faced criticism from world leaders and indeed Angela Merkel.

Ms Merkel, who has said Germany will step up to help “save the world”, in the wake of the USA pulling out of the accord also said that “these challenges will certainly not be mastered by countries plotting a lone course, or with isolationism and protectionism”.

The meeting between Trump and Putin is much anticipated as the two have been highly complimentary towards one another.

China's President Xi called for the two nations to strengthen their bond in a guest column in a German newspaper this week. Both countries should both take responsibility for world “peace, stability and prosperity”, he wrote.