Mikhail Mishustin, the prime minister of Russia, arrived in China for a trip during which he will meet with President Xi Jinping and sign a number of agreements on trade and infrastructure.
Igor Morgulov, the ambassador of Moscow to China, and Zhang Hanhui, the senior representative of Beijing to Russia, met Mr. Mishustin when he arrived in Shanghai late on Monday.
The Kremlin said that Putin will attend a Russian-Chinese business summit, go to a petrochemical research facility in Shanghai, and speak with “representatives of Russian business circles.”
According to Bloomberg, the meeting has invited a number of Russian businessmen who have been sanctioned, including those from the crucial fertiliser, steel, and mining industries as well as Alexander Novak, the deputy prime minister in charge of energy matters.
The biggest energy consumer for Russia in 2022 was China, whose gas exports had already fallen due to a wave of Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, there were more police officers in the area of the Russian consulate in Shanghai as well as the surrounding conference centers where the forum was being held.
According to Russian official media Tass, Mr. Mishustin will next fly to Beijing where he will meet with Premier Li Qiang and Mr. Xi. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia have increased their economic cooperation and political ties. This strategic alliance has only deepened.
China claims to be a neutral participant in the conflict, yet it has refrained from criticizing Russia for the invasion.
Beijing published a document in February pushing for a “political settlement” to the crisis, which Western nations said may allow Russia to retain a significant portion of the area it has annexed in Ukraine.
Mr. Xi extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Beijing at a conference in Moscow in March.
According to analysts, China now has the upper hand in ties with Russia, and its influence is expanding as Moscow’s international isolation increases. AFP
Author
