Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping met Friday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Xi believed his visit to Russia would inject new vigor into the development of China-Russia relations.

Xi and Putin are expected to attend the opening ceremony of the "Tourism Year of China" in Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, capital of Russia, March 22, 2013. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held talks here Friday and vowed to enhance their countries' comprehensive strategic cooperation.

During their meeting in the Kremlin, Putin extended his warm welcome to Xi, and said the fact that Xi selected Russia as the first foreign country to visit after assuming presidency testifies to the great importance both sides attach to the development of their relations as well as the special and strategic nature of the relationship.

Describing the visit as one of historic significance, Putin said he is confident that the trip will bear rich fruit and give a strong boost to the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Russia and China.

Xi stressed that China and Russia are each other's major and most important strategic cooperative partners, and both accord priority to deepening their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in their overall diplomatic agenda and foreign policy.

In face of the profoundly complex international situation and the still grave global economic environment, the two sides should work together more closely to enhance their comprehensive strategic cooperation, said the Chinese president.

China and Russia, he proposed, should deepen mutual political support, steadfastly backing each other's efforts to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, each other's independent choice of development paths and each other's cause of national rejuvenation.

The two sides should also expand practical cooperation, translate the advantage of their high-level political ties into tangible results and thus achieve common development, Xi added.

Meanwhile, he continued, Beijing and Moscow should strengthen coordination and cooperation on global and regional issues so as to safeguard the two countries' common strategic security.

The collaboration on the world stage should also aim at promoting world peace, stability and prosperity by defending the principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations, the post-World War II international order as well as international justice and fairness, he said.

Expressing his full agreement with Xi's comments on bilateral relations, Putin said the two countries hold similar stances on many major issues and enjoy extensive common interests and bright cooperation prospects.