Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to embark on a two-day state visit to China this week, marking the first known foreign trip of his fifth term.
During his visit, Putin will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, highlighting the strong relationship between the two nations. The visit, set for Thursday and Friday, comes at the invitation of President Xi, as announced by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
Putin secured his fifth term as Russia's president in March. His upcoming visit to China is described as reciprocal, following Xi's trip to Moscow last year after his own reelection. This information was conveyed by the Kremlin in a statement reported by the Russian state news agency TASS.
In recent years, Russia and China have nurtured their close relationship amidst escalating tensions with the U.S. Putin and Xi convened in early 2022, shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, announcing a “no limits” partnership.
Beijing has consistently upheld warm diplomatic relations with Moscow and offered crucial support to its defense industry during Russia's conflict in Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed “serious concern” during his recent visit to China, citing apprehensions about China supplying weapons components to Russia during the course of the war.
