Russian PM arrives in China. According to Moscow’s foreign ministry, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has arrived in China for a visit during which he will meet with President Xi Jinping and sign a number of agreements on trade and infrastructure.
According to the ministry, Mishustin arrived in Shanghai late on Monday. He met at the airport by Zhang Hanhui, the top representative of Beijing to Russia, and Igor Morgulov, the ambassador of Moscow to China.
According to the Kremlin, he will attend a Russian-Chinese Business Forum, visit a petrochemical research facility in Shanghai, and speak with “representatives of Russian business circles.”
Several Russian businessmen who sanctioned, including those from the crucial fertiliser, steel, and mining industries, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy issues,invited to that forum, according to Bloomberg.
The top energy consumer for Russia last year was China, whose gas exports had previously plummeted as a result of a wave of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
According to Russian state media TASS, Mishustin will then fly to Beijing where he will meet with Xi and Premier Li Qiang.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia have stepped up their economic cooperation and diplomatic exchanges, solidifying their strategic alliance.
China claims to be a neutral party in that conflict, but it has refrained from criticizing Russia for the invasion.
Beijing published a paper in February calling for a “political settlement” to the conflict, which Western nations claimed could allow Russia to retain a significant portion of the territory it has annexed in Ukraine.
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President Vladimir Putin invited to visit Beijing by Xi during a summit in Moscow in March.
According to analysts, China currently has the upper hand in relations with Russia, and its influence is expanding as Moscow’s international isolation increases.