The Chinese foreign ministry and the Kremlin announced on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from March 20 to 22, less than a month after Beijing floated a 12-point peace plan in an attempt to end the conflict triggered by Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The visit’s announcement comes a day after Qin Gang, the foreign minister of China, called for peace talks with Dmytro Kuleba, his counterpart in Ukraine, over the phone.
So far, Beijing has refused to call Moscow’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine an invasion, instead blaming the US and NATO for inciting Moscow.
According to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hua Chunying on Friday, “Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Associated Press, Xi and Putin will discuss “issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China,” as well as exchange views “in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena,” in a statement issued by the Kremlin. According to the report, Xi’s visit was an apparent show of support for President Putin.
China is concerned about the escalation of the war in Ukraine and the situation spiralling out of control, according to Qin, who spoke to Kuleba on Thursday evening, amid speculation that Xi will soon meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We hope that Russia and Ukraine will maintain the possibility of discussion and negotiation and won’t shut the door on a political resolution, no matter how challenging and difficult it is. For a ceasefire to end the conflict, resolve the crisis, and establish peace, China will continue to contribute positively, according to Qin.
Xi made his most recent trip to Russia in 2019, according to the news agency AFP, and Putin was present for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing in 2018. The two leaders also got together in September in Uzbekistan at a regional security conference.
