Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrive in Moscow, Russia on July 3, 2017. Xi embarks on a state visit to Russia. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)





Chinese President Xi Jinping began his state visit to Russia Monday by reiterating that Sino-Russian relations are at their "best time in history," and that his visit symbolizes a further improvement in the two countries' "common destiny."



Xi arrived in Moscow on Monday, his sixth visit to Russia since taking office in 2013, the Xinhua News Agency reported.



The two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners, Xi said in an interview with Russian media ahead of his departure.



The Chinese president said the two countries are also working together to tap their cooperation potential and foster new growth areas in bilateral cooperation.



"The fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation has become the locomotive in the continuous development of China-Russia relations," Xi said.



Xi said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin think China and Russia should deepen economic and trade cooperation to reinforce their common interests and benefits to their peoples.



Xi also said that anti-terror cooperation is an important part of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, which sets an example to the world.



Bilateral cooperation in such areas as fighting the three evil forces (of terrorism, separatism and extremism) through bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms is moving forward smoothly, playing an important and positive role in maintaining the stability and development of both countries and the region, Xi said.



"President Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.



The visit will be the third meeting this year between Xi and Putin, who have met 22 times before, Xinhua reported.



Xi is going to sign many agreements with Russia and find solutions to many issues to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, Wang Haiyun, a former military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Russia, told the Global Times on Monday.



Meanwhile, the two countries will be coordinating their stance on global and regional issues, such as the North Korea nuclear issue, the G20 and anti-terrorism in response to the complex and sensitive international situation, Wang said.



The two countries have built high-level political and strategic mutual trust, the Chinese president said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues, turning the 4,300-kilometer boundary into a bond of friendship between the two peoples, Xinhua reported.



Media have reported on "small frictions" between China and Russia, but that is normal between big countries, said Gao Fei, a professor of Russian studies at the China Foreign Affairs University.



Gao said that such frictions will not affect Sino-Russian relations in general.



During his stay in Moscow, Xi will hold talks with Putin, and the two sides will sign agreements in such fields as trade, economy, investment, connectivity, media and education, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai said at an earlier press conference.



The two sides will also sign a joint statement and approve the 2017-2020 implementation outline for the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia, the official said.



From Moscow, Xi will fly to Germany for a state visit and attend the summit of the Group of 20 major economies.



The 'big triangle'



"China, Russia and the US have formed a big triangle in the world in which the three countries are very involved and affect each other," Wang said.



"China would welcome the normalization of relations between Russia and the US. But regardless of the state of Russia-US relations, this will not affect Sino-Russian relations, which are strategic and comprehensive," Wang said.



The leaders of China and Russia also have a clearer understanding of each other's significance in their strategies, Wang said, noting that Xi's visit shows that Sino-Russian relations will continue to improve.



"The big triangle relations change every day, but China and Russia have been relying on each other and have formed a 'common destiny' to face global challenges," Gao said.