President Xi Jinping has met with Kirill the First of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

China's top leader, meets Russia's spiritual leader.

President Xi says their meeting highlights what he calls "the special partnership" between the two countries, nurtured by both their traditional friendship and the realistic need for cooperation.

Xi lauded the Russian Orthodox Church's consistent support for the development of bilateral relations and for China's core interests.

Kirill says the peoples of China and Russia share similar beliefs and values, both upholding independence and sovereignty, as well as national unity and justice. He says he's willing to make Russia-China friendship a permanent feature of Russian culture.

Xi Jinping particularly recalled his visit to Russia two months ago,shortly after becoming the head of state.

Russian President Vladmir Putin was the first head of state Xi met with after coming into office.

He said he had achieved his goals after visiting Russia and that the results had far exceeded his expectations.

In recent years, the Sino-Russian relationship is developing very fast. Both the two countries hope to further strengthen this friendship. Analysts say that a close tie between the two countries is highly important for world peace and regional stability.