During a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's Duma, or lower house of parliament, Xi hailed the countries' relationship as being a "stable source of world peace", Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.

"The two sides should... work together to safeguard the security and development interests of both countries, unite the Global South, uphold true multilateralism, and promote the international order towards greater fairness and justice," Xi told Volodin in Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People.

Former socialist allies with a history of tempestuous ties, relations between Beijing and Moscow have deepened since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

China has never denounced the war nor called for Moscow to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine's allies believe that Beijing has provided support to its vast northern neighbour.

China, for its part, insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit China from this weekend.

He will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the northern city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, as well as celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Putin will also hold talks with Xi, with whom he has previously feted his supposedly deep personal bond.

Xi told Putin in a phone call earlier this month that China was pleased to see Moscow and Washington improving their relations, state media reported.

The Russian leader met with US President Donald Trump for a high-stakes meeting in Alaska this month aimed at ending the Ukraine war, but progress towards peace talks appears to have stalled since then.