Chinese President Xi Jinping met Thursday in St. Petersburg with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin before the Group of 20 (G20) summit.

At the beginning of the meeting, Xi said he is happy to see that both countries have made great efforts to implement more than 50 cooperation projects in 16 fields since his last meeting with Putin, adding he is expecting further exchange of views with the host on issues of common concern.

The Chinese president noted that the two countries have kept close cooperation in fighting against the flood that caused great loss recently in Russia's Far East region and Northeast China, which shows the strong relationship between the two peoples.

For his part, Putin welcomed Xi's visit to St. Petersburg for the G20 summit, saying that he is very glad to talk with his Chinese counterpart on bilateral issues.

Putin also called for regular exchanges between the two leaders as well as officials from both sides at all levels.

This is the second meeting between Xi and Putin within half a year after Xi paid a state visit to Russia in March.