The leaders met and shook hands in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before walking down a red carpet and listening to the national anthems of their respective countries.
In the opening talks, they praised relations between the countries.
Beijing and Moscow have "continuously deepened our political mutual trust and strategic coordination with a resilience that remains unwavering," Xi told Putin, according to Chinese state media.
Putin described it as relations reaching “an unprecedented level.”
Xi: “Ceasefire extremely urgent”
According to the state-run New China (Xinhua), the wars in the Middle East were among the topics on the agenda.
A comprehensive ceasefire is extremely urgent; resuming hostilities would be even more unwise, and maintaining negotiations is particularly important, Xi told Putin, according to the news agency.
During the talks, the leaders also reportedly discussed the new gas pipeline “Power of Siberia 2.” According to the Kremlin, progress was made but the parties did not reach an agreement.
China hesitant about gas pipeline
Russia, which has become increasingly economically dependent on China since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, has been pushing for the pipeline for years. But due to cooling interest from China, the process has been slow.
The pipeline would stretch 2,600 kilometers from the Yamal Peninsula in northern Siberia through Mongolia to China, and it would transport 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The world leaders have also agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001, Chinese media reports.
Putin's visit to China came less than a week after US President Donald Trump visited the country.
