The Chinese president will visit Russia next week, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Friday.
This will be Xi Jinping’s first trip to Moscow in nearly four years.
“At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22,” the ministry said in a statement.
Xi last visited Russia in 2019, although Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing last year and the two leaders also met at a regional security meeting in Uzbekistan in September.
The two leaders will talk about “strategic cooperation,” according to an almost simultaneous Kremlin statement. Xi and Putin “will discuss the deepening of the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China,” the Kremlin announced, also on the international stage, adding that “important bilateral documents will be signed.”
This visit takes place just over a year after the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
China has tried to present itself as a neutral party to the conflict, but its stance has been criticized by some Western leaders for lacking credibility and tacit support for Moscow.
In a 12-point position on the war published last month, China called for dialogue and respect for the territorial sovereignty of all countries.
China and Russia are also strategic allies, with both sides often touting a borderless partnership.
Beijing’s foreign ministry did not confirm at a press conference on Thursday whether Xi also planned to maintain an alleged relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
China’s foreign minister on Thursday urged Kiev and Moscow to resume peace talks “as soon as possible”.
Beijing “expects all sides to remain calm, exercise restraint, resume peace talks as soon as possible and return to the path of political settlement,” Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba over the phone.
Source: DN
