Putin to visit Beijing, meet Xi this week

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China this week and meet with leader Xi Jinping, the two countries announced Tuesday.

Putin will be in Beijing from Thursday to Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement, the Russian leader's first trip abroad since his March re-election and his second in just over six months to China.

"President Xi Jinping will exchange views with President Putin on bilateral ties, cooperation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common interest," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing.

The Kremlin said the two leaders would discuss their "comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation" as well as "define key areas of development of Russian-Chinese cooperation and exchange views on international and regional issues".

They will also sign a joint declaration following the talks, the Kremlin said, and attend an evening marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Putin will meet with Premier Li Qiang — China's number two official — and travel to the northeastern city of Harbin for a trade and investment expo, the statement added.

Analysts say Russia is increasingly dependent on China as a crucial economic lifeline since the West hit it with unprecedented sanctions over its military offensive in Ukraine.

Beijing has rebuffed Western criticism over its ties with Moscow, hailing its "no limits" partnership as it enjoys cheap Russian energy imports and access to vast natural resources, including steady gas shipments via the Power of Siberia pipeline.

But as that economic partnership comes under close scrutiny in the West, Chinese banks fearing U.S. sanctions that might cut them off from the...