Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a bilateral meeting at the sideline of the G8 summit in St. Petersburg July 17, 2006. [Reuters]

Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Russia from March 26 to 28.

"At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Russia from March 26 to 28," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular briefing on Tuesday.

During the three-day visit, President Hu will also attend the opening ceremony of the "Year of China" held in Russia.

China hosted the "Year of Russia" in 2006, which involved the organization of some 300 functions with the participation of more than 500,000 Chinese.

The "Year of China" in Russia is expected to feature some 200 events, including a Chinese national exhibition, a cultural festival, a business forum and an investment conference.

On Tuesday morning, President Hu met with journalists from Russian media in Beijing, briefing them on issues from China-Russia relations and "National Year" activities to trade cooperation, from the building of a harmonious society and the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov said the purpose of holding national year alternately between Russia and China is to deepen mutual understanding of the domestic situation and people's life of each country.

Russian people are becoming more and more interested in China and the upcoming "Year of China in Russia", Razov said during an interview with xinhuanet.com Tuesday afternoon.

He said the Russia-China strategic partnership has reached an unprecedented height, and there are no political problems in the bilateral relations to upset both countries.