Vladimir Putin participated in a formal meeting ceremony between President of China Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, the heads of delegations attending the third One Belt, One Road International Forum. The ceremony and group photo took place at the House of People's Congresses in Beijing.
Earlier, it was reported that more than 20 heads of state are attending the forum. Heads of international organisations such as UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) Dilma Rousseff are also attending.
The main events of the Forum will take place on 18 October at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, where Putin will attend the opening ceremony. Russian-Chinese talks are also scheduled for Wednesday, followed by a series of bilateral meetings between Putin and other leaders on the sidelines of the Forum.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin and Xi will discuss the countries' connections "in their entirety."
One Belt, One Road initiative was proposed by Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative involves two projects: the "Silk Road Economic Belt", encompassing various economic corridors, and the "Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century." The proposal received support from 150 countries and aims to strengthen international trade and investment initiatives by linking China to Europe, Central Asia, and Africa.