MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his gratitude to Russian leader Vladimir Putin for supporting efforts to develop China.
"I am very grateful to you in that respect, that you have always, always in all these past years, as regards China's development and building, treated us in a positive way. You always provide us with support. We, of course, feel that. We are grateful to you," Xi said at a meeting with Putin on Monday.
Russia and China have "many identical or similar goals in striving forward," Xi said.
"Both our countries are now making huge efforts in attaining our goals in the cause of development and prosperity. We have set the task of effecting modernization in the Chinese model. Russia, too, has set grand goals of national development," Xi said.
"I am certain that through our cooperation and close work together, we will definitely achieve those goals," he said.