Putin to attend China summits on ‘One Belt’ and BRICS
Participation of Russian president in the two highest-profile events Beijing is hosting this year could herald closer ties between the neighbours
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend two of the most important diplomatic events China will host this year, a top envoy for Moscow said, in a possible sign of the two nations drawing closer together.
Putin would attend the summit on the “One Belt, One Road” President Xi Jinping would host in May, said Andrei Denisov, the Russian ambassador in Beijing, said on Thursday.
He will join leaders from about 20 countries that State Councillor Yang Jiechi has already said will take part in the discussions, to be held in Beijing.
Putin would also join the annual BRICS talks, which are being held in Xiamen in Fujian province – Xi’s powerbase – in early September, Denisov said. The bloc of leading emerging economies groups together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
China and Russia have often presented a unified front on the global stage over such issues as the Syria crisis, Iran nuclear deal and North Korea nuclear threat. Since becoming president in 2013, Xi has met Putin more often that any other world leader. But Denisov said cooperation between the two countries was based on mutual interests, rather than ideology.