At the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Premier Li Keqiang will begin his three-day visit to Russia on Sept 16, which comes as the two countries are embracing the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and ushering in a new era in their relations.

During the visit, Premier Li will hold talks with Medvedev in St. Petersburg and sign a joint communique of the 24th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government. Premier Li will also meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Three months after the two sides upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era during President Xi Jinping's visit, how will they open the curtain of China-Russia relations in the new era?

Highest degree of mutual trust within regular meeting mechanism

"The regular meeting between the heads of government is a great platform to coordinate our practical cooperation and provide assistance to it. This mechanism has worked continuously for 23 years," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters on Sept 16.

Putting a mechanism in place is an important feature of the function of the new type of state-to-state relationship. As China's ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui noted, regular consultations that function at every level, from meetings between heads of state and government ministers downward, have played an important role in enhancing the bilateral relations.

President Xi has visited Russia eight times and met with Putin 31 times since he took office as the Chinese president in 2013.

Forty to 50 meetings are held annually at the deputy-ministerial level and between heads of relevant departments.