Russian President Vladimir Putin will be travelling to China for a two-day state visit this Thursday and Friday, the Kremlin announced. The trip, which was made at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, will mark the Russian leader’s first foreign visit since he embarked on a fifth six-year presidential term in March.
According to the statement, the two presidents are expected to discuss a range of bilateral, regional and international issues and matters pertaining to strategic cooperation. “It is planned that, following the talks, the presidents will sign a joint statement and several bilateral documents,” the statement said.
During the visit, Putin and Xi will participate in a gala event to commemorate the 75th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As well, the Russian President is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang concerning topics relating to the economy, trade and humanitarian issues.
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Apart from Beijing, Putin will also be making a trip to the north-eastern city of Harbin in order to participate in the opening of the 8th Russia-China Expo and the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation, as well as interact with students from the Harbin Institute of Technology.
The trip is set to be the Russian leader’s second trip to China in a little over half a year and signals the growing ties between the two countries. Indeed, both sides issued a declaration of a “no limits” partnership shortly before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. China has maintained close business ties with Russia since the start of the war, in the face of Western boycotts.
In an interview with Xinhua published today, Putin stated that “China has remained our key business partner for 13 years, and in 2023, Russia ranked fourth among the PRC’s major trading partners.”
