Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin meets with Chinese President Xi

Mishustin, who is on a two-day visit to China, held a bilateral meeting in the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital, Russian state media TASS said.

The Russian Prime Minister was accompanied by a large delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, among others, who arrived in Hangzhou on Monday. The Chinese side was represented by its Foreign Affairs Minister, Wang Yi, and others.

Mishustin met with the Chinese Premier Li Qiang yesterday and as per China''s state media Xinhua, the two sides agreed that the strategic guidance of the two countries'' leaders offers political guarantees to relations and cooperation between Russia and China.

"China is ready to consolidate the integration of development strategies with Russia, expand cooperation across the board and continuously develop Chinese-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation in the new era and progress along the path of modernization together," Li stated as per TASS.

Li made the remarks while co-chairing the 30th regular meeting of the Chinese and Russian heads of government in Hangzhou yesterday.

The two leaders also proposed expanding cooperation mechanisms and increasing investment in bilateral cooperation.

The Russian Prime Minister''s visit to China follows a bilateral meeting between Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea last week. Trump had described the talks with Xi as "amazing."

CNN, in its reportage of the meeting, showcased photographs released by the White House of the meeting in which Xi is captured in a rare candid moment, appearing "to grin with his eyes shut, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi laughing by his side."

After escalating trade tensions between the two countries over the past months, the US and China seemed to have reached a truce, with Trump reaching a one-year agreement with China on rare earth supplies, taking the overall tariff on Chinese goods down to 47 per cent.

Meanwhile, a proposed meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest has not materialised after Trump, on October 23, announced that the summit would be postponed indefinitely, stating that he did not want a "wasted meeting."

Putin, according to TASS, has indicated that the meeting in Budapest has more likely been postponed than cancelled.

The Russian media outlet cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as stating that the focus should be on Ukraine settlement work, not on the Putin-Trump meeting. (ANI)