Putin and China's Top Diplomat Meet in Moscow, Pledge Greater Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, pledged to develop ties between the two nations during talks in Moscow on Wednesday, February 22, according to Russian officials and Chinese state media.

Wang first sat down with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov before a separate meeting between Wang and Putin at the Kremlin, Moscow officials said. Lavrov also attended the Kremlin meeting, along with Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev.

After welcoming Wang to Moscow, Putin celebrated that Russia and China were aiming to increase trade to $200 billion by 2024, up from $185 billion in 2022. The Russian leader said strong ties between the two countries were “very important for stabilizing the international situation” after “the collapse of the bipolar system,” according to an English-language transcript published by The Kremlin.

Putin also said he had invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Russia.

In response, Wang said the purpose of his visit was to increase “cooperation in various fields,” according to the transcript.

“Amid an extremely complex and volatile international situation, China-Russia relations have withstood the pressure exerted by the international community and are developing quite sustainably,” Wang said, according to the Kremlin. Credit: TV Zvezda via Storyful