Xi, Putin to meet in Beijing in February

The Olympic flame (R) and the torch for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are on display on the Flame Exhibition Tour at Shougang Park in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that he expects to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing in over a month's time.

At a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, Putin said he looks forward to his upcoming visit to China and attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Xi underscored President Putin's visit to China and attendance at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in over a month's time as a concrete action to support China's work as the host.

It will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders in nearly two years, he said.

Xi said he expects to have in-depth exchanges with Putin on bilateral relations, major international and regional issues and he believes that the two will reach more common understandings of importance.

Xi said he very much looks forward to this "get-together for the Winter Olympics" and stands ready to work with Putin "for a shared future" to jointly open a new chapter in post-COVID China-Russia relations.

Stressing that Russia has consistently opposed politicizing sports, Putin said that he would like to exchange ideas with Xi on major issues of common concern to maintain the development of Russia-China relations at a high level.