Xi described his trip as a "journey of friendship, cooperation and peace", though China has been criticised by Western nations for what they consider tacit backing and diplomatic cover for Russia's war in Ukraine.
"I look forward to working with President Putin to jointly adopt a new vision" for relations, Xi wrote in a signed article in Russian newspaper Russian Gazette, that was also carried by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
China has sought to portray itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war, and its foreign ministry said last week that Beijing would "play a constructive role in promoting peace talks" between Kyiv and Moscow.
Putin welcomed Beijing's moves on Ukraine as indicative of a willingness to play a "constructive role" in ending the conflict, while saying Chinese-Russian relations were "at the highest point".
Xi's trip serves to bolster an isolated Putin, who in a defiant move on Sunday went to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol -- his first visit to territory captured from Kyiv since Moscow's invasion in February 2022.
Xi's visit also comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.
- 'No limits' friendship -
Xi, who broke longstanding precedent to begin a third term as president this month, has referred to Putin as an "old friend".
Beijing and Moscow have drawn closer in recent years under a "no limits" partnership that has served as a diplomatic bulwark against the West.
China has lambasted what it sees as a US-led campaign of pressure against Russia as Moscow's war in Ukraine drags on, instead calling for what it calls "impartial" mediation of the conflict.
Beijing in February issued a 12-point position paper calling for dialogue and respect for all countries' territorial sovereignty.
"No single country should dictate the international order," Xi wrote in his Russian media article Monday.
"China has all along upheld an objective and impartial position based on the merits of the issue, and actively promoted peace talks," he added.
Beijing's stance has drawn criticism from Western nations, which say China is providing diplomatic cover for Moscow's war.
They argue that China's proposals are heavy on grand principles but light on practical solutions.
The United States last week said China's proposals would simply consolidate "Russian conquest" and allow the Kremlin to prepare a fresh offensive.
"We don't support calls for a ceasefire right now," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
"We certainly don't support calls for a ceasefire that would be called for by the PRC in a meeting in Moscow that would simply benefit Russia," he said, using China's official acronym -- the People's Republic of China.
Washington has also accused Beijing of mulling arms exports to Moscow -- claims China has vociferously denied.
- 'A new vision' -
Analysts say Xi's moves are unlikely to yield a rapprochement in the Ukraine war.
Nevertheless, his trip will be closely watched in Western capitals.
The Wall Street Journal has reported Xi could also be planning his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the war began.
Zelensky has said he would welcome talks with his Chinese counterpart.
Xi and Putin are set to have an "informal" one-on-one meeting and dinner on Monday before negotiations on Tuesday, Putin's top foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian news agencies.
They will also sign an accord "on strengthening (the two countries') comprehensive partnership and strategic relations entering a new era", the Kremlin has said, as well as a joint declaration on Russian-Chinese economic cooperation until 2030.
Where China-Russia ties stand as Xi visits Moscow
Beijing (AFP) March 19, 2023 -
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to embark on his first state visit to Russia in four years, spotlighting an alliance that has faced growing scrutiny since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Here are the key aspects of their bilateral relationship:
- Comrades in arms? -
In February 2022, just ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Xi and President Vladimir Putin declared a "no-limits" partnership between the two countries.
The countries enjoyed a close ideological bond in the early Cold War period rooted in their common history of communist revolution, although the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s began a three-decade freeze.
Ties between Moscow and Beijing strengthened considerably after the fall of the Soviet Union, spurred on in recent years by Xi's and Putin's shared opposition to what they see as Western international hegemony.
Putin said Sunday that relations were at "the highest point".
- Lucrative trading partners -
The vast neighbours have built a close economic trade relationship throughout recent decades, with China now the largest buyer of Russian oil.
These ties have remained strong throughout the Ukraine war. China's trade with Russia reached a record $190 billion last year, Beijing customs data shows.
Moscow's economic ties with the European Union have largely been severed by a wave of crippling sanctions, making China an even more important customer for Russian exports.
Xi's visit to the Russian capital comes as bilateral trade continues to grow, with Chinese imports and exports showing double-digit annual growth in January and February, according to customs data.
- Dear old friends -
The Chinese and Russian leaders have developed a close rapport over the past decade that often conflicts with their otherwise stern public demeanours.
Xi used rare personal language to describe his Russian counterpart during a regional summit in Uzbekistan last September, greeting Putin warmly as "my dear old friend".
And despite repeated urging by Western leaders, Xi has thus far declined to condemn the Ukraine invasion.
The Chinese leader's comments on the Ukraine war echo the rhetoric adopted repeatedly by Putin -- that NATO's eastward expansion and US-led hegemonic behaviour bear central responsibility for the conflict.
For Xi, publicly demonstrating the mutual affection he enjoys with Putin allows him to bolster his reputation as a leading statesman, a key pillar of his ambitions for China to play a bigger role on the global stage.
- A lopsided friendship -
China has blossomed into the world's second-largest economy since the Chinese Communist Party initiated a dramatic campaign of economic reforms in the 1980s.
Its robust tech sector and advanced manufacturing capabilities now stand in stark contrast to Russia's largely energy-dependent economy, which in 2022 was roughly 10 times smaller than China's, according to GDP estimates from the World Bank.
The lack of any formal military alliance or core ideological framework has caused some analysts to refer to the relationship as merely transactional.
The strain on Russia's economy and Putin's international pariah status -- solidified last week by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes -- stand to make the relationship even more lopsided as the war drags on.
"Putin wants an even relationship with China, like with a twin brother, but it's not the case," analyst Timothy Ash told AFP.
"Russia has no other option" than to turn to China, he said.
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