Russian President Vladimir Putin started on Tuesday a three-day visit to China, with Beijing said the two countries were united on the Syria crisis.
Putin began talks with President Hu Jintao Tuesday ahead of a meeting with Hu's likely successor Vice President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
In an article in the Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper on Tuesday, the Russian leader wrote that the two countries could find common language on issues like Syria.
"Relations between Russia and China have been rightfully called a model of the new type of intergovernmental ties. Therefore, they are extremely stable, and not subject to spur-of-the-moment political situations," he said.
For its part, China said that both Beijing and Moscow oppose foreign intervention and forced regime change in Syria.
"On the Syrian issue, China and Russia have stayed in close communication and coordination both in New York, Moscow and Beijing," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters.
"The position of both sides is clear to all -- there should be an immediate end to violence and the political dialogue process should be launched as soon as possible," he said.
"China and Russia share the same position on these points and both sides oppose external intervention into the Syrian situation and oppose regime change by force."
OTHER AGREEMENTS
On the other hand, the two countries planned to sign 17 diplomatic and business agreements that should help support booming trade, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said last week.
The Russian delegation includes six cabinet members, the heads of Russia's energy giants Gazprom, Rosneft and Transneft, and "all the major names of Russian business", Ushakov said.
In his People's Daily article, Putin said Russia hoped to export "great quantities" of natural gas to China in the near future.
"Our joint projects practically change the entire configuration of the global energy market," he said.
Among other reported deals to be inked during the visit is a joint project to develop a new long-haul aircraft by Russian company Ilyushin and China's Comac.
"We are ready to vigorously push forward large cooperation projects in civil aviation manufacture, aerospace and other hi-tech industries," Putin wrote in the Chinese newspaper.
Putin will also meet the presidents of Iran and Afghanistan as part of a regional summit during the visit, his first to Asia since starting an historic third term last month.
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