Putin says plans to visit China next month: Report

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he has plans to visit China this May, Kyodo reported citing Russian news agency TASS. This would mark the first overseas trip of Putin after his fifth term in office begins May 7.

"I have a visit (to China) scheduled in May," Putin was quoted as saying in his address at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs congress on Thursday, Kyodo reported.

The announcement by Putin came shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin had in February this year accused Washington of "interfering" in their countries' affairs during a telephone call. 

Xi Jinping had met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing earlier this month, marking the first face-to-face discussion between Lavrov and Xi in six years. Their last meeting in 2018 occurred just before Putin's inaugural visit to China following his re-election. Since then, China and Russia have intensified their economic, trade, and diplomatic collaborations, particularly in the aftermath of Putin's war in Ukraine.

Despite Beijing claiming neutrality in the conflict, it has emerged as a crucial economic partner for Russia, providing vital support to its isolated economy.

The two nations have also aligned diplomatically against perceived Western containment efforts. Beijing has been importing Russian oil after other countries placed sanctions on Russian imports. Putin's last visit to Beijing occurred in October 2023 during the Belt and Road Forum, while Xi visited Moscow for a state visit last March 2023.

(ANI)