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Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday on a three-day visit and described the two countries as “reliable partners”, AFP reported. This is Jinping’s first visit to Russia ever since Putin invaded Ukraine last year.
“I am confident the visit will be fruitful and give new momentum to the healthy and stable development of Chinese-Russian relations,” Xi was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
“China is ready to stand with Russia to protect the UN-centric international system and the world order based on international law,” Jinping, who was recently handed an unprecedented third term as president, said.
Xi Jinping’s Russia Visit Live Updates
China and Russia have described Jinping’s trip as part of efforts to further deepen their “no-limits friendship”.
The Ukraine war is expected to be a key point of discussion during Xi’s visit and the Kremlin has said China’s peace plan would be discussed in talks between Putin and Xi, AFP reported.
China’s plan calls for a ceasefire followed by peace talks and respect for national sovereignty but the 12-point document, released on the first anniversary of the war, does not specifically say that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
The visit comes at a crucial time for Putin, who has been charged with war crimes in Ukraine by the International Criminal Court, and will provide a political boost to the Russian leader.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier in the day that President Putin would provide Xi Jinping with detailed “clarifications” on Russia’s point of view on the Ukraine invasion. The Kremlin said the two leaders would discuss the peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Beijing last month.
“One way or another, the topics that figured in this plan will inevitably be touched upon during the exchange of views on Ukraine. But here, of course, exhaustive clarifications will be given by President Putin, so that President Xi can get a first- hand view of the current moment from the Russian side,” AFP quoted the spokesperson as saying.
China, so far, has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and continues to maintain close political, trade, and military ties with Russia.
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