Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Chinese capital of Beijing to participate in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
On Monday, the Kremlin said that Putin would pay an official visit to China from October 17-18. The Russian leader is expected to hold negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss further development of the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, as well as topical regional and international issues.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin and Xi Jiping will exchange detailed opinions and coordinate positions.
The Kremlin added that Putin would also hold a number of bilateral meetings with the leaders of the participating states of the forum. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also arrived in Beijing on Monday and met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
This is Vladimir Putin's 19th visit to China. Putin's previous visit to Beijing was in early 2022 to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.