Preparations for the welcoming ceremony are underway in the square in front of the Great Hall of the People where Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive.

The orchestra is practicing playing the countries' national anthems, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

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The preparation of the orchestra is complete as the band plays a rendition of the song "Moscow Evenings".

The orchestra leaves the square and heads for the Great Hall of the People where Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive shortly, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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‘Show of unity’ between ‘allies’ Russia and China emphasized by Western media as Putin starts state visit

A “show of unity” was the most cited phrase as Western mainstream mass media reported on the beginning of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China.

China’s leader Xi Jinping rolling out the red carpet for “close friend Putin in strong show of unity” was the headline that CNN ran with when reporting on the start of the Russian president’s visit.

It underscored that Putin’s “symbolic” first overseas trip since being inaugurated for a new term as Russia’s head of state was a “mark of Xi’s support” and “the latest sign of the deepening relations” between the two countries.

As China’s leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at an official ceremony on Thursday, ABC News similarly noted that the state visit was a “show of unity between the allies.”

As The Washington Post reported on the arrival of Russia’s leader in China, it highlighted that the Russian and Chinese presidents were “expected to emphasize their shared objective of reshaping global power and ending US dominance over world affairs.”

Britain’s The Guardian ran with the headline that Putin and Xi’s “no-limits” friendship “will be put to the test” during the Russian president’s state visit to China. It noted that the two countries were seeking to “pivot further from the West.”

Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing for talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping, seeking to “deepen a strategic partnership between the two most powerful geopolitical rivals of the United States,” Reuters wrote.

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