Putin lands in Beijing to meet Xi Jinping

Beijing, Oct 17 (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin landed on Tuesday in Beijing, where he will meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum, state media reported.

The Russian president arrived after 9 am at the airport in the Chinese capital, Xinhua news agency reported.

Putin will meet Xi to discuss bilateral relations, which “are on the rise,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday in Beijing, in opening remarks at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, according to a readout by the foreign ministry.

At the meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, both leaders will discuss bilateral and international issues in a friendly and frank manner, Russian President’s advisor Yuri Ushakov said.

Putin will attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing as the chief guest and deliver a speech at the event immediately after Xi, Ushakov said on Monday.

Putin arrives in China with a large delegation of senior officials, including two deputy prime ministers, as well as the heads of foreign affairs, economic development, transportation, finance and others.

The governor of the Central Bank, the head of Russian Railways, the chairman of the largest Russian bank, Sberbank, as well as of VTB bank, energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom, nuclear company Rosatom and other executives are also part of the delegation.

China aims through the Belt and Road Forum to win the Global South with multibillion-dollar investment projects that have also received criticism for the risk of debt they entail.

With the initiative, which was presented in Kazakhstan ten years ago, Beijing seeks to strengthen its international influence and boost trade ties between Asia, Europe and Africa through the construction of ports, railways and airports. EFE

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