Putin to visit China in October to meet Xi, attend Belt and Road Forum

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China in October to mark the 10th anniversary of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"In October, we expect to have thorough bilateral negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing as part of the participation of the head of the Russian state in the events of the international forum One Belt, One Road," Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow.

The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) will be held in Beijing next month, with 2023 marking the 10th anniversary of the BRI development project.​​​​​​​

The official assessed current relations between Moscow and Beijing as "based on the principles of respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, mutual support in the international arena."

"It is important that the approaches of Russia and China to the fundamental issues of the modern world order and key international problems either coincide or are very close, including on the fundamental principle of equal and indivisible security, the desire to defend their national interests and an independent path of development," he said.

Patrushev said his session with Wang comes at a time of "rapidly changing international situation."

"The current transformation of the geopolitical landscape is accompanied by the provocation of new and the incitement of old conflicts. Those who want to continue to benefit from human tragedies are interested in these conflicts," he said.

In these conditions, contacts between Russia and China contribute to the development of common approaches to solve common tasks, he said.

"As for our meeting today, we will discuss a number of topical international and regional issues, as well as other issues of interest to the parties. I am convinced that this will contribute to an even greater consolidation of our approaches and unity in solving common tasks," he stressed.

Patrushev reiterated Russia's support to China on Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, saying the differences with these Chinese regions are "used by the West to discredit China."

He added that "in the conditions of the campaign launched by the collective West to double deter Russia and China, further deepening of Russian-Chinese coordination and interaction in the international arena is of particular importance."

The BRI, billed as recreating the ancient Silk Road to boost global trade infrastructure, was put forward by Xi in 2013 to connect China with the markets of Central Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa.