Chinese President Xi Jinping has a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as the two heads of state jointly witness the launching ceremony of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping had a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Monday afternoon, as the two heads of state jointly witnessed the launching ceremony of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline.