Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced that the main event in the relationship between Russia and China in 2024 will be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China. The announcement came at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Subjects of the Russian Federation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lavrov emphasised that the visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as reported on the ministry’s official website, TV BRICS reported.
“The main event of bilateral relations this year will be the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the People’s Republic of China,” Lavrov stated.
Lavrov also revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia in October to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan. The summit brings together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa to discuss various aspects of cooperation.
The Russian Foreign Minister highlighted that expanding interregional cooperation between Russia and China is a key focus. He pointed out that trade turnover between the Republic of Tatarstan and China reached over US$2 billion in 2023. Furthermore, in the first half of 2023, trade between the two regions more than doubled compared to the same period in 2022, reaching US$1.6 billion.
Lavrov also mentioned that discussions between Russian and Chinese leaders will take place on the sidelines of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the BRICS summits in 2024.
These developments signal a strengthening of the partnership between Russia and China, with significant implications for both countries and the broader geopolitical landscape.
