Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Russia in 2025
Reuters reported that Russia's state news agency RIA quoted Moscow's ambassador to Beijing as saying on the morning of December 27 that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia in 2025.
"As for specific bilateral events, I can say that appropriate plans are being actively prepared," Ambassador Igor Morgulov told RIA.
“What can be said and is not a secret, in terms of priorities, is that the President of the People's Republic of China is expected to visit Russia next year.”
China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for confirmation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China in February 2022, declaring an “unlimited” partnership, just days before Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine. Putin also visited Beijing in May last year, after his re-election by a landslide, touting a “new era” in relations.
Xi Jinping was received at the Kremlin in 2023 as a "close friend" after he was elected to a third term.
Mr Morgulov also told RIA that China understood the basis for the Ukraine conflict “to some extent because they are also facing many of the same challenges – the US and its allies are increasing pressure on China in the Asia-Pacific region”.
NATO is “planning to move its military infrastructure” into the region, he added, adding that Russia and China need to jointly respond to US policy.
"On the international arena, the responsibility lies with our countries to continue to respond jointly with 'dual response' to the 'dual deterrence' that the West is trying to impose on Russia and China," RIA quoted the Russian ambassador as saying.
China, along with Brazil, has proposed a peace plan for the war in Ukraine that calls for freezing the front lines and taking into account the security interests of both sides. Russia has expressed support for the proposals.
Ukraine has put forward its own plans to end the conflict – the latest of which includes a request to join NATO, and Kiev has rejected the China-Brazil initiative as serving Moscow’s interests.
According to Reuters, Russian forces now control about 20% of Ukraine's territory and have recently launched attacks at the fastest pace since the early days of the war.
