MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th March, 2023) Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Moscow from March 20-22 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold talks on further development of the bilateral comprehensive partnership, strategic interaction between Russia and China, and the Ukraine conflict.
The visit will be Xi's first foreign trip after his reelection for a third term as China's president in early March.
On March 20, the presidents will hold a one-on-one conversation over an informal lunch, followed by the formal negotiations on the following day, according to the Kremlin. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as well as other senior Russian government officials, will take part in the first round of talks between Putin and Xi. On March 21, the Chinese leader will also hold a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Putin and Xi are expected to sign a number of important bilateral documents after the negotiations,
In an article for RIA Novosti and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, issued on the eve of his visit to Russia, Xi said that the trip would be aimed at strengthening peace and friendship between the two countries, and expressed his willingness to work on new plans to develop the bilateral ties together with Putin.
He noted that together with Putin he had opened a new chapter in the bilateral relations between Moscow and Beijing thanks to his visits to Russia.
"My first foreign trip after I was appointed the Chinese president took place in Russia 10 years ago. I have traveled to Russia eight times over the past 10 years. Thanks to these trips that always bring pleasure and results, President Putin and I have opened a new chapter in the annals of the Russian-Chinese relations," Xi said in the article.
Russia and China were continuously strengthening political trust, guided by the concept of eternal friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation as the two nations were formulating a new paradigm of cooperation between great powers, according to Xi.
The president added that China had an objective and unbiased position on the Ukrainian crisis and that the 12-point position paper on Ukraine that released by Beijing last month was conducive to the promotion of successful peace resolution of the year-long conflict.
Meanwhile, the White House said that Washington was encouraging Xi to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a long time and that it was important for the Chinese leader to hear Kiev's stance.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the United States will be closely monitoring Xi's visit to Russia. China's proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict should adhere to China's oft-repeated principle of respecting a country's sovereignty, the US official said.
