Xi's visit on Wednesday comes just two months after the Dalai Lama announced that his office, not China, would choose his successor. China's leaders, however, claim that only they have the power to oversee that decision.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the Kremlin to attend a festive concert, held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia, May 8,