Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping meeting in Beijing

A meeting between the leaders of China and Russia is underway in Beijing. At the invitation of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin flew to China for a two-day visit. Both countries must promote the construction of a more equitable system of global governance, the Chinese President stated during the restricted-format talks.

Beijing continues to host world leaders. Last week, US President Donald Trump visited China, and these days, Vladimir Putin is visiting.

The Russian side dispelled the myth yesterday that the visit was organized after the American leader's visit to China. The Russian President's trip is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the countries, and the visit was agreed upon in early February.

The talks themselves are being held in both restricted and expanded formats. It was noted that, even against the backdrop of unfavorable external factors, cooperation between the countries is showing good momentum. In terms of trade turnover, it has grown more than 30-fold over the past quarter century, exceeding $200 billion.

The value of the good-neighborly format was also emphasized, growing amid major changes in the international situation. Countries should strive to build a more just and equitable system of global governance, the Chinese President stated. China also commented on the situation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Beijing's position is that hostilities must be completely ceased as soon as possible.

According to the itinerary for Vladimir Putin's visit to China, a gala reception hosted by the Chinese President will be held on the evening of May 20. The two heads of state will also hold a tea meeting. According to the Russian side, the international situation is planned to be discussed in this format.

We will keep an eye on today's statements, as relations between Russia and China are also of interest to Belarus, given that Moscow and Beijing are strategic allies of Minsk.