DHAKA: Chinese prime minister Li Keqiang on Sunday arrived in Moscow for talks with president Vladimir Putin as Russia is struggling with its most pronounced isolation since the end of the Cold War.

‘It is a major event in the bilateral relations,’ Chinese vice-minister Cheng Guoping said ahead of Li’s visit, reports The Straits Times.

He said both sides would sign a joint communique and about 50 agreements. ‘We are confident it will be a success,’ he said.

Deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov in Moscow said the two countries would sign a host of deals including on nuclear energy, natural gas, financing and banking.

BDST: 2018 HRS, OCT 12, 2014