The tourist flow between Russia and China may reach the pre-COVID level in 2025, Nikita Kondratyev, the director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry's department of multilateral economic cooperation and special projects, told Sputnik.

“We hope that from the launch of the visa-free agreement - from August 1, 2023 - by the end of 2024, we hope to achieve 1 million mutual tourist trips as part of the visa-free group exchange. These are good indicators. It is clear that we have not returned to pre-COVID figures yet, but we hope that in 2025 these will already be pre-COVID indicators,” Kondratyev said on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum "Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024" in the Russian city of Kazan.

Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Vakhrukov told Sputnik in late March that the overall tourist flow between Russia and China in 2023 totaled some 1.2 million people. In August 2023, the Ministry of Economic Development reported that in pre-COVID 2019, the mutual tourist flow between Russia and China reached 4 million people - approximately 2 million people on each side.

The International Economic Forum of Russia and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum" is being held in Kazan on May 14-19.

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❗️LIVE: Putin pays state visit to China

Sputnik comes to you live as President Vladimir Putin arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Putin’s state visit to China will last two days — the Russian leader will spend May 16 in Beijing and will visit Harbin on May 17. On Thursday, Putin will hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in narrow and expanded formats.

Watch the livestream here or follow the link to the Sputnik's website

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Before Vladimir Putin's arrival, the Russian delegation descended on the square in front of the Great Hall of the People to meet the two leaders.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have started restricted attendance talks in Beijing, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The Russian president arrived in China for a two-day state visit and will travel to Beijing and Harbin.

Putin and Xi had a brief conversation before the talks during their walk to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Putin and Xi are expected to discuss the whole range of issues pertaining to the Russia-China relationship and prospects for their development, as well as international and regional issues, including the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle East and Asia.

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❗️ Vladimir Putin's statements at meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping:

▪️ Trade turnover between Russia and China in 2023 increased by a quarter and reached $227 billion

▪️ Russia and China have accumulated a significant record of practical cooperation.

▪️ China is Russia's main partner in the trade and economic sphere.

▪️ According to the results of last year, Russia assumed fourth place in the list of China's trade partner countries, and the plan for the development of key areas of Russia-China economic cooperation until 2030 directly played a role in this.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Xi Jinping called Putin “his great friend” and congratulated him on assuming the Russian presidency

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📹 Vladimir Putin's visit to China is the first foreign trip since his inauguration

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❗️ Xi Jinping's statements at his meeting with Vladimir Putin:

▪️ Relations between Russia and China have withstood the tests of a volatile international environment and have become a benchmark for relations between major powers.

▪️ The Chinese leader recalled that he had met Putin at least 40 times over the years.

▪️ China intends to be good neighbors, trusted friends, and reliable partners with Russia as always.

“This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. Over the past three quarters of a century, Sino-Russian relations have hardened under difficult conditions, withstood the test of the volatile international situation, and today represent a benchmark of relations between major powers and neighboring countries, characterized by mutual respect, trust, friendship, and mutual benefit,” Xi Jinping said.

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