Li told the reporters a story about how China and Russia joined hands to battle devastating flooding on the Heilongjiang River, known in Russia as the Amur, which hit eastern Russia and northeastern China this summer.
Li and Medvedev held two telephone conversations in August on cooperation in the face of the floods.
"I'm sincerely grateful for the Russian side, which used its two upstream reservoirs to cut the flood peaks and scale down the floods," said the Chinese premier.
Medvedev, who arrived in Beijing early Tuesday for an official visit, is scheduled to visit east China's Anhui Province, Li's home province, and deliver a speech in front of a group of university students on Wednesday.
