He will meet with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov during his stay, the Interfax news agency quoted a ministry statement as saying.

"The parties will exchange opinions on the most pressing problems of international relations, particularly those affecting security in the Asia-Pacific region," the statement said.

China with India is a principal customer for Russian arms, but most of the contracts until now have concerned aircraft, boats, submarines and munitions.

China in 2002 accounted for more than 2.5 billion dollars (about two billion euros) worth of orders, more than half of Russia's export contracts signed that year, totalling 4.8 billion dollars.

Russian-Chinese defense cooperation gained momentum in the 1990s after Western nations imposed an embargo in response to the Tiananmen Square events of 1989.

The cooperation was cemented in 2000 at a summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

In December, Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan visited Russia as part of Beijing's efforst to increase transfers of Russian military technology and reduce arms deliveries from Russia.

WAR.WIRE