On Sept. 3, 2013, President Xi Jinping arrived in Ashgabat, and started a state visit to Turkmenistan.

Around 12:25pm local time, Xi Jinping's arrived by special plane at the Ashgabat International Airport. Children presented flowers, bread and salt to welcome the Chinese guests, in accordance with the local etiquette in greeting distinguished guests. Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and other Turkmen officials greeted Xi Jinping near the plane ladder.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi Jinping expressed sincere greetings and best wishes to the Turkmen government and people. Xi Jinping said that China and Turkmenistan are good-neighborly friends and important strategic partner in energy. The bilateral relations enjoy a solid foundation, increasing connotation, and continuously improving cooperation mechanism, and opportunities and conditions are already ripe to realize the strategic upgrade. I'm looking forward to holding talks with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, having an in-depth exchange of views on deepening bilateral good-neighborly cooperation, and on international and regional issues of common interest, and signing important political documents. I believe that this visit will be a great success, to promote bilateral relations up to a new level.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and other accompanying officials, arrived by the same plane.

Chinese Ambassador to Turkmenistan Xiao Qinghua also came to the airport to welcome the Chinese officials.

After the visit to Turkmenistan, Xi Jinping will travel to Russia to attend the Eighth G20 Summit 2013 in St. Petersburg, pay state visits to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and attend the 13th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).