President Hu Jintao started his state visit to Russia Monday afternoon local time after arriving in the nation's capital.

It is Hu's first overseas trip since he took office in March as the president, which will also take him to Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

As part of his itinerary, Hu will participate in the North-South leaders' informal dialogue meeting in the French town of Evian. He will also attend the Shanghai Co-operation Organization's annual summit in Moscow and the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg.

In his written statement released on arrival in Moscow, Hu said the consolidation of the friendly and good neighbourly ties and mutual co-operation between the two countries was in the fundamental interests of the people of both countries.

In the past 10 years, bilateral relations have grown remarkably.

China and Russia, which have a long history of friendship, have now have become good neighbours, good friends and good partners, Hu said.

With the deepening of strategic partnerships in the political and economic fields, both sides face a bright future for further ties.

They have a historical duty to usher in the future, to enter a new era of bilateral good-neighborly co-operation that benefits both countries, Hu said.

The climax of his trip will be a formal meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

The meeting, which is scheduled to be held late Tuesday Beijing time, is widely believed to be a sign of a more mature relationship between the countries.

Hu and Putin are expected to discuss bilateral relations and international issues such as the post-war reconstruction of Iraq, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and conflict in the Middle East.

A package of Sino-Russian agreements will be signed during Hu's visit, according to the Russian Ambassador to China.

"Presidents Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao have developed good personal and business contacts, which will undoubtedly facilitate the promotion of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership,'' Igor Rogachyov told Russian media.

A source also revealed that Premier Wen Jiabao will hold talks with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov later this year.