President Xi meets with Russian FM Lavrov

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing. The meeting was held at the Great Hall of the People, according to state broadcaster CCTV. After the meeting, Lavrov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit China in the first of half of this year. On Tuesday, Lavrov criticised efforts aimed at "containing" Russia and China during talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In comments apparently referring to the United States and its allies, Lavrov said, "they are trying to dismantle (regional cooperation) by creating small-format, bloc-based structures aimed at containing both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation", according to Russia's state-run RIA Novosti. Lavrov was on a two-day visit to China to boost bilateral ties and discuss the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. (Xinhua & AFP) Edited by Altis Wong