‘Your country’s relevant ministries are working to ensure quality standards of products supplied from Russia to China and improve mutual access of food products,’ Putin assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a three-hour meeting.

Both leaders harped on the pressing need to strengthen the use of national currency for mutual trade, especially in agriculture, as well as the mutual presence of financial and banking structures in the two nations’ markets.

They also agreed to introduce the Chinese currency as a form of payment for deals between Russia and countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

pll/abo/mgt/hoo