Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects the Russian military honor guard Monday at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. Xi arrived at the airport around 1 p.m. that day, beginning his three-day state visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua

The Russian military honor guard marches during the ceremony to welcome Xi. Photo: Ding Haitao/Xinhua

Xi greets Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko upon his arrival in Moscow on Monday. Photo: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua

A sign welcoming Xi adorns a building in Moscow on Monday. Photo: Cao Yang/Xinhua

Xi rides to the Kremlin in a Chinese Hongqi limousine on Monday afternoon. Photo: VCG

Xi arrives at the Kremlin ahead of his meeting with Putin. Photo: Alexey Maishev/VCG

Xi and Putin meet at the Kremlin. Photo: Sergei Karpukhin/Courtesy of Presidential Executive Office of Russia

During the meeting, the two said they looked forward to the next day’s formal talks that will establish a new blueprint for the Sino-Russia strategic partnership in the coming years. Photo: Sergei Karpukhin/Courtesy of Presidential Executive Office of Russia

Xi and Putin pose for a photo at the Kremlin. Photo: Shen Hong/Xinhua