Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay an official visit to Russia from today to Saturday to participate in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, the Kremlin announced, quoted by Reuters.
This will be his 11th visit to Russia and his 40th meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, notes the „China Daily“.
In a statement on „Telegram“ The Kremlin said Xi Jinping will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin the development of the two countries' strategic partnership and sign a number of documents.
“During the talks, the main issues of the further development of the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation relations, as well as current issues on the international and regional agenda,“ the Kremlin said.
China has maintained its position as Russia's main trading partner for 15 consecutive years, while Russia has risen to become China's eighth largest trading partner. In 2024, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded 240 billion. dollars, notes „China Daily“.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that the upcoming visit highlights the common importance that the two sides attach to deepening political trust and strengthening practical cooperation in the face of a rapidly changing global environment.
Several other national leaders are expected to attend the celebrations.
Putin proposed a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine around the May 9 holiday, one of the most important in the Russian calendar.
In response to Moscow's proposal for a three-day ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready as long as the ceasefire lasted 30 days - something that Putin has already ruled out in the near future, saying he wants a long-term agreement, not a short break.
Zelensky said that Ukraine, given the ongoing war with Russia, could not guarantee the safety of foreign dignitaries, who are coming to Moscow for the traditional Victory Parade on May 9.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has stepped up his criticism of China, which he says supplies weapons and gunpowder to Russia.
The Russian state news agency "RIA Novosti" quoted Putin, who in a documentary film dedicated to the 25th anniversary of his first inauguration as Russian president, said that Russia's relations with China are: "truly strategic in nature and deeply rooted."
"Our national interests coincide," Putin was quoted as saying by the agency.
Since the last talks between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin face-to-face in the Russian city of Kazan in October as part of the 16th BRICS summit, however, many changes have occurred in the global and regional environment, not least the change of the US government and the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House, the "China Daily" said.
The latter could become a test of the strength of the relationship between the two leaders and the stable development of Russia-China relations.