President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Feb 4, 2022. (XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will inject more vitality into China-Russia relations. 

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Xi held talks with Putin in Beijing ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony scheduled on Friday night.  

President Xi said Putin's visit has realized their "get-together for the Winter Olympics"

Xi recalled his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Russia in 2014 when they agreed to meet again eight years later in Beijing.

Xi said Putin's visit has realized their "get-together for the Winter Olympics."

Xi expressed his willingness to jointly carry forward the Olympic spirit with Putin and friends from across the world. 

He also stressed the commitment between China and Russia to deepening back-to-back strategic coordination in the face of profound and complex changes in the international situation.

He stands ready to work with Putin to chart the future and provide guidance for bilateral relations under new historical circumstances, he added.

President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Feb 4, 2022. (XINHUA)

Years of Sports Exchanges

President Xi also said he is ready to jointly announce with Putin the official launch of the Years of Sports Exchanges between the two countries.

China is ready to work with Russia to give full play to the political advantages of bilateral relations and push for more achievements in all-round pragmatic cooperation.

 Xi Jinping, Chinese president

The Years of Sports Exchange between China and Russia, with various kinds of activities to be carried out, can deepen mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the two peoples, Xi said.

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"China is ready to work with Russia to give full play to the political advantages of bilateral relations and push for more achievements in all-round pragmatic cooperation," Xi stressed.

He called for implementing the roadmap for high-quality development of China-Russia trade in goods and services, deepening cooperation in such areas as agriculture, green trade, medicine and health, and the digital economy, promoting transport infrastructure connectivity, and maintaining the smooth logistics on the Eurasian continent as well as stability of global industrial and supply chains.

"China and Russia should strengthen their energy strategic partnership, steadily advance major oil and gas cooperation projects, step up joint innovation in major energy technologies, expand cooperation on new energy, support each other in ensuring energy security, and improve the global energy governance system," he said.

Xi called for more technological and innovation cooperation between the two countries, particularly in frontier areas such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and the International Lunar Research Station project.

Hailing the SCO's extraordinary course of development over the past 20 years, Xi said it has become an important constructive force in the international community

The two countries should deepen communication on fiscal and financial policies, strengthen their capability of resisting financial risks, and seek greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, he said. 

Bigger roles for SCO, BRICS mechanisms 

During the meeting, Xi called on China and Russia to view the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization from a strategic and long-term perspective, move in the right direction and better safeguard the security and common interests of its member states.

Hailing the SCO's extraordinary course of development over the past 20 years, Xi said it has become an important constructive force in the international community.

China is ready to work with Russia to enable the BRICS cooperation mechanism to play a bigger role in upholding multilateralism, strengthening anti-pandemic cooperation and promoting economic recovery, and make a greater contribution to global development while realizing the development of the five BRICS countries, he said.