China has invited Russian President Putin to visit in October, Tass reports

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was expecting Putin to attend Belt and Road Forum, Russian news agency reports, citing former envoy to Beijing
The Chinese foreign ministry has neither confirmed or denied the report

China-Russia relations

Liu Zhen

Published: 9:11pm, 12 Jul 2023

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China has invited President Vladimir Putin for a visit in October, Russian news agency Tass reported, citing Moscow’s former ambassador to Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned this during his meeting in Beijing on Monday with Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, the report said.

Xi told Matviyenko that he was expecting a visit from Putin, Tass reported, citing Andrey Denisov, a former Russian envoy to China who is currently deputy chairman of the council’s foreign affairs committee.

Denisov served as ambassador to Beijing from 2013 to 2022 and had a role in organising many of Putin’s earlier China visits.

“During the meeting with Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, Chairman Xi Jinping said that the Chinese side was getting ready for a visit by the Russian president in October in order to participate in the third Belt and Road forum,” Denisov was quoted as saying.

The Chinese foreign ministry has neither confirmed or denied the report.

“The third Belt and Road Summit for International Cooperation will be held later this year. China is maintaining communication with our belt and road partners on relevant issues,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing on Wednesday.

Putin attended both previous editions of the forum, hosted by Beijing in 2017 and 2019.

His last visit to China was in February last year, when he attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Less than three weeks later, Russia invaded Ukraine.

During his stay, Putin secured a series of significant energy deals and the two countries also declared that bilateral ties went beyond a traditional alliance and represented a partnership with “no limits”.

Putin has not travelled far since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant in March over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

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Four months ago, Xi paid a state visit to Moscow and invited Putin for a return visit at a time convenient for him later in the year.

If Putin does visit in October, it would be his third meeting with Xi this year, as they are both expected to attend the summit of the BRICS group in South Africa’s Johannesburg from August 22 to 24.

The informal bloc of emerging markets also includes Brazil and India.

In May, Tass reported that Beijing had invited Putin to address the Belt and Road Forum as a guest of honour, citing comments made by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev during bilateral consultations on public security, justice and the rule of law.

The Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled in 2013, is Xi’s ambitious global strategy to connect a large number of countries across continents through massive infrastructure projects. It also aims to boost trade and investment and expand China’s influence. More than 150 countries and international organisations have agreed to join the initiative so far.

The first Belt and Road Forum in May 2017 featured the heads of state or government from more than 28 Asian, European, African and Latin American countries. The second edition was held in April 2019.