China: Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin has landed in Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr. Xi invited his “dear friend” to attend China’s third Belt and Road Initiative forum, which will host leaders from 130 countries.
The meeting is expected to focus on the Israel-Hamas war as well as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
China is one of the first countries Mr. Putin has visited since the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March for illegally deporting children from Ukraine.
China is not one of the 123 countries that are members of the ICC, so it does not have to transfer Mr. Putin to The Hague for trial. Recently, Mr. Putin visited Kyrgyzstan, but China is the first country outside of the former Soviet Union he has visited this year. Kyrgyzstan is also not an ICC member.
Beijing has rejected Western criticism of its partnership with Moscow even as the war in Ukraine continues, insisting that their ties do not violate international norms and that China has the right to collaborate with whichever country it chooses.
Trade between neighbouring China and Russia has been increasing since Moscow began its Ukraine invasion in February 2022, with Beijing importing Russian oil after other countries imposed sanctions on Russian imports.
Russia’s top diplomat, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, has arrived in Beijing ahead of Putin and held talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday.
Mr. Putin’s last visit to China was in February 2022 for the Beijing Winter Olympics, when Russia and China released a sweeping 5,000-word statement reaffirming their no-limits relationship.
The Russian President has also accepted an invitation from Mr. Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea after the two leaders met last month. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has already announced that Lavrov will visit Pyongyang after leaving Beijing.
