People gathering along street in Kazan to welcome Xi

People gathering by the roadside to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping who just arrived in western Russia's Kazan City on Tuesday.

Xi is in Kazan to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On the way from the airport to the hotel, crowds gathered on the street, waving Chinese and Russian national flags and holding welcoming banners to warmly welcome Xi.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday arrived in Kazan, the capital city of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Xi was warmly received by Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, and other high-ranking officials at the Kazan International Airport.

A group of Russian women presented Xi with local specialties to welcome the Chinese president, who was given a guard of honor as he made his way along the red carpet.

Xi is set to attend small- and large-group leaders' meetings and the BRICS Plus leaders' dialogue, and will deliver important speeches. Xi will also have in-depth exchanges with other state leaders on the current international situation, practical BRICS cooperation, the development of the BRICS mechanism and other important issues of common concern.

Xi's entourage, including Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and foreign minister, arrived on the same plane.

This summit, scheduled for Tuesday to Thursday, is the first to be held after the expansion of the BRICS organization earlier this year.

BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market cooperative mechanism that initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In January, it expanded its membership to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia.