Putin and Xi will meet on March 20, hold talks on March 21

(Added quotes, details)

MOSCOW, March 17 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on March 20 and hold talks on March 21, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“Communication between the president of the Russian Federation and the president of China will begin on March 20 in the afternoon. It will be 1-on-1 communication. There will be an informal lunch and March 21 will be a negotiation day,” he said.

Peskov declined to answer questions about the content of the talks, saying Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov would organize a special briefing ahead of Xi’s visit.

Earlier, the Kremlin announced that the Chinese president would visit Russia on March 20-22. During the talks, “current issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China” will be discussed.

The parties will also exchange views on “deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena.” In addition, a number of important bilateral documents will be signed, the Kremlin said in a statement.

(Moscow office)