Putin reciprocated the flattery, and said to Xi during an initial press briefing that the close ties between China and Russia are now at a level "without equal".
Xi and Putin are expected to have both formal and more informal conversations during Tuesday.
Several world leaders have passed through Beijing after the summit within the Shanghai Cooperation (SCO) in Chinese Tianjin on Monday. A massive military parade is expected to march through the capital on Wednesday to mark 80 years since the end of World War II. Then, among other things, North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un is also expected to be present.
We were always with each other then, and are still now, said Putin to Xi about the world war.
