Putin will visit China next month.

Russian President Putin will travel to Beijing next month to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and attend the Belt and Road Forum.

"We look forward to thorough talks between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in October," Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, said during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow today.

President Putin will attend the Belt and Road Forum at the invitation of President Xi, marking his third time attending the event.

According to Patrushev, Western efforts to contain Russia and China will only strengthen cooperation between the two countries. Wang is on a four-day visit to Russia to discuss regional security as well as issues related to the resolution in Ukraine.

"Russia is committed to promoting and strengthening Russia-China relations," Patrushev said, adding that the two countries have a "comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on July 29. Photo: AFP — Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on July 29. Photo: *AFP*

The last time President Vladimir Putin visited China was in February 2022, to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, a few weeks before Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader previously attended the Belt and Road Forum in China in 2017 and 2019.

Following the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, Putin has primarily traveled to former Soviet republics to attend conferences. His October trip will be the first time the Russian president has traveled abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him. Neither China nor Russia are members of the ICC.

Russia and China agreed on an "unrestricted" strategic partnership in February 2022. Both sides have since repeatedly affirmed the strength of their relationship, with bilateral trade increasing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow in March and held talks with President Putin. The two leaders praised a "new era" in bilateral relations and discussed Beijing's proposals to help end the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Beijing in late May, becoming the highest-ranking Russian official to visit China since Moscow launched its campaign in Ukraine. During the visit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told Mishustin that Beijing was ready to cooperate to elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

Experts believe that Russia and China are drawing closer amid rising tensions with the West. Many Western officials argue that the partnership with China is one of the key factors helping Russia withstand unprecedented sanctions.

Huyen Le (According to Reuters )

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