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Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit China in May as Moscow seeks to bolster ties with Beijing
- Trip would be the long-time leader’s first abroad since his re-election, amid Western claims that China is propping up Russia’s war effort in Ukraine
- News of the planned visit announced after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Beijing
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Mark Magnierin New York
Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit China in May, he announced, revealing his decision as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Beijing this week and is set to press Chinese officials to halt exports of machine tools and other goods useful to Moscow in its war with Ukraine.
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The news marks the latest indication that Russia and China’s “partnership without limits”, touted weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and reinforced since then through policy and public statements, shows no sign of abating.
“A visit in May is planned,” Putin stated at a Moscow business forum on Thursday without elaborating. The Russian leader, in power since 2000, visited China most recently in October last year.
Ahead of Putin’s visit, the US is likely to reiterate its concern about the trajectory of Sino-Russian relations.
In a phone call in early April, US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about his government’s ongoing support for Russia, according to a White House read-out.
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