Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin to hold virtual summit on December 15
Highlight
- Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold a virtual summit.
- No specific subject and the said details will be issued after the meeting.
- In recent years, China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to counter the US
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold a virtual summit this week to discuss bilateral ties and international issues, amid tensions between Moscow and the West over a gathering of thousands of Russian troops near its border with Ukraine. between.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not mention any specifics and said details would be released after Wednesday’s video meeting.
“The two heads of state will conduct a full review of China-Russia relations and cooperation in various fields this year,” Wang told a daily briefing on Monday.
Wang said the leaders would “make a top-level design for the development of bilateral relations next year.”
US President Joe Biden warned Putin during a call last week that Russia would face painful sanctions that would inflict economic damage if it invaded Ukraine again.
Putin replied that “Russian troops are on their territory, and they do not threaten anyone,” according to his foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.
In recent years, China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to counter US domination of the international economic and political system. Both have faced sanctions for their internal policies, their crackdown on China against minorities, particularly Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, and the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Beijing and Washington also remain at odds over trade, technology and China’s military threat of Taiwan, which it claims as its territory.
Wang said the bilateral meeting of US adversaries is expected to “further enhance the high-level mutual trust between the two sides”.
Putin has sought guarantees that Ukraine would never join the expansion of the NATO military alliance, a demand rejected by the US and its NATO allies.
Read also: In 2-hour virtual summit, Joe Biden warns Putin of military aid to Ukraine over Russia’s invasion
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