Xi Jinping Lands In Moscow, Says Visit Will Give Russia-China Ties 'New Momentum'

The Ukraine war is expected to be a key point of discussion during Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Russia.

China's President Xi Jinping walks past honour guards during a welcoming ceremony at Moscow's Vnukovo airport

Source : AFP

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 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.

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.

At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Xi's trip was a "journey of friendship, cooperation and peace".

The visit comes at a crucial time for Putin, who has been charged with war crime 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. 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.

In an article published in the Chinese People's Daily newspaper, Putin called the Chinese President's visit a "landmark event" that "reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership". Putin also mentioned that the meeting sent a message to the US that the two countries aren't prepared to accept attempts to weaken them.

"The US policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive," Putin wrote.