President Xi Jinping to meet Vladimir Putin next week; says report

According to people familiar with the matter, Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Russia to meet with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as soon as next week, which is earlier than expected.

The visit coincides with China’s offer to mediate peace in Ukraine, an attempt met with scepticism in the West due to China’s diplomatic support for Russia.

According to Russia’s Tass news agency, Putin has invited Xi to visit in the spring. According to the Wall Street Journal, a visit to Moscow could occur in April or early May.

Requests for comment on the idea of Xi visiting Moscow went unanswered right away by the Chinese foreign ministry, and the Kremlin declined to respond.

Further information wasn’t immediately available.

Given the subject’s delicate nature, the sources who provided the briefing chose not to be named.

Putin hinted that Xi would visit Russia when he received Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, on his visit to Moscow last month.

A “no limits” partnership between China and Russia was established in February 2022, only weeks before Russia attacked Ukraine when Putin was in Beijing for the Winter Olympics. Since then, the two countries have often reaffirmed the strength of their relationship.

Since taking office, Xi has had 39 face-to-face meetings with Putin, the most recent of which occurred in September during a summit in central Asia.

Xi concluded the National People’s Congress’ annual meeting on Monday after being unanimously elected to an unprecedented third term as president during the meeting.

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