Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing on Tuesday, where he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and take part in the third Belt and Road Forum, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Putin landed in the Chinese capital after 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. in Lisbon).
The Russian leader will meet Xi to exchange views on bilateral ties, which are “growing”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Beijing on Monday, after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
During the meeting, which will take place on the 18th, the two leaders will discuss bilateral and international issues in a “friendly and frank” dialogue, the Kremlin said.
Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov recalled on Monday that Putin will participate as “chief guest” at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum and will speak at the event shortly after the host, Xi Jinping.
The Belt and Road initiative, labeled by Xi as the “project of the century”, was initially presented in Kazakhstan as a new economic corridor for Eurasia, inspired by the old Silk Road. However, over the past decade the program has taken on a global dimension as more than 150 countries around the world have joined the programme.
Chinese companies have built ports, roads, railways, power plants and other infrastructure around the world, financed by Chinese development banks, in an effort to boost trade and economic growth. The program confirmed China’s status as a leader and creditor among developing countries.
Putin arrived in China with a large delegation of senior officials, including two deputy prime ministers, and those responsible for diplomacy, economy, transport and finance.
The delegation also includes the governor of the Central Bank, the director of Russia’s railways and the directors of Russia’s largest bank Sber, the VTB bank, the gas company Gazprom, the nuclear agency Rosatom and other executives.
China has served as Moscow’s “lifeline” after its invasion of Ukraine. The Asian country is now Russia’s most important trading partner and diplomatic ally.
China sees the partnership with Russia as fundamental to countering the liberal-democratic order, at a time when its relationship with the United States is also going through a period of great tension, marked by disputes over trade and technology or disputes over rights issues. status of Hong Kong or Taiwan, and the sovereignty of the South and East China Seas.
Just weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin and Xi declared an ‘unrestricted’ friendship in Beijing.
China refused to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine and criticized the imposition of international sanctions on Moscow.
Source: DN
