Vladimir Putin will begin his visit to China on October 17

Russian President Vladimir Putin will spend October 17-18 in the Chinese capital Beijing, where he will attend the third international forum “Belt and Road” (in Russian the former name “One Belt – One Road” is more common). Leaders of 23 states will come to the forum. At the same time, as Putin’s assistant Yuri Ushakov told reporters at a briefing on October 16, the head of state will also hold bilateral negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an expanded and narrow format.

According to Ushakov, Putin will begin on October 17 with talks with two leaders who recently received their posts: Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong (who took office in March 2023) and Thai Prime Minister Settha Thaweesin (in office since August 2023). In the evening of the same day, Xi Jinping will open an official meeting ceremony with the heads of delegations of the participating countries of the global forum, after which he will hold ceremonial events for them. After their completion, Putin plans to hold negotiations with at least two more leaders – President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.

The main part of the Belt and Road Forum will take place on October 18. Its theme is stated by the organizers as “High-quality cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road: together for joint development and prosperity.” Putin will speak there as the chief guest, immediately following Xi’s welcoming speech. The next item on the program of the heads of the two states will be full-scale negotiations, Ushakov said. They will be divided into two parts: in an expanded and narrow format in the format of a working breakfast. At the same time, it is possible that Putin and Xi will want to conduct part of the conversation face-to-face, Ushakov noted.

The expanded Russian delegation will include Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Novak and Dmitry Chernyshenko, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical cooperation Dmitry Shugaev, general director Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov and others. Among those who will personify Russian business in China will be the Chairman of the Board of Sber, German Gref, President and Chairman of the Board VTB Andrey Kostin, Chairman of the Board of Novatek Leonid Mikhelson, General Director of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev, Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft Igor Sechin, owner of Volga Group Gennady Timchenko, Chairman VEB.RF Igor Shuvalov. Ushakov, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov and presidential aide Maxim Oreshkin will fly to Beijing from the presidential administration. Lavrov, Ushakov and the Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov will be invited for negotiations in a narrow format. Finally, before leaving China, Putin will answer questions from Russian journalists.

Ushakov emphasized the positive dynamics in the development of relations between Russia and China, admitting that the country could surpass the $200 billion trade turnover level set for 2024 this year. During the negotiations, attention will be paid to pressing international and regional problems, on the key ones of which Beijing and Moscow have close or coinciding positions.

At the same time, as Ushakov noted, during the upcoming visit of the Russian delegation to China there are no plans to sign agreements on increasing oil or gas supplies to this country, since the visit is not entirely devoted to bilateral issues. At the same time, contacts are expected soon at the level of the prime ministers of the two countries, which could lead to new agreements, he explained.

The October meeting between the leaders of China and Russia will be the second in 2023. Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia on March 20-22, which was his first foreign trip after being appointed chairman of the People’s Republic of China for the third time. At the same time, he invited Putin to visit China. The last time the Russian president visited China was in early February 2022, when the visit was timed to coincide with the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

Xi Jinping first presented the concept of the One Belt, One Road project in the fall of 2013 at Nazarbayev University in Astana. The main goal was to create a transit and transport infrastructure between China, the countries of Eurasia and Africa, and later the countries of South America began to participate in the initiative.

On October 10, 2023, the Press Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China published a White Paper on the first 10 years of the Belt and Road. According to its data, from 2013 to 2022, the total value of imports and exports between China and other countries participating in the initiative reached $19.1 trillion, and the average annual growth rate of trade turnover was 6.4%. By the end of August 2023, more than 80 countries and international organizations had joined the Belt and Road Cooperation Initiative to promote smooth trade, and China had signed 21 free trade agreements with 28 countries and regions.

Moscow does not directly participate in the Chinese initiative, but supports it. Moreover, in 2015, Putin and Xi signed an agreement to “link the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Silk Road Economic Belt.” In its development, on May 17, 2018, an agreement on trade and economic cooperation was signed between the EAEU and its states and the PRC. Finally, in February 2023, a corresponding road map was approved, in which the digitalization of transport corridors and increasing dialogue on foreign trade policy were recorded as key directions.

A visit to China to participate in the forum is following the good tradition of participation in these events and demonstrating the inviolability of the tradition of mutual support between Russia and China, says St. Petersburg State University professor Yana Leksyutina. According to her, this is an opportunity for Vladimir Putin to once again personally meet with Xi Jinping and discuss the current agenda. One of these issues may well be negotiating the terms of implementation of the Power of Siberia-2 project. Leksyutina also emphasized that the meeting between the head of state and the leader of Mongolia is an expected event, since relations between the countries are developing intensively and, in addition, the proposed Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline should pass through the territory of Mongolia.

The President’s trip to China is not related only to the Belt and Road Initiative, but provides an opportunity to discuss key issues of bilateral relations with the Chinese leadership. This is a full-fledged visit, says Igor Denisov, senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies. “Discussion of such practical issues as energy cooperation, trade and economic relations in the context of Western sanctions pressure and coordination in the international arena will become important items on the negotiation agenda,” the expert noted.

Denisov also clarified that meetings with the leadership of Asian countries emphasize the strategic importance of the Asia-Pacific region for Russia and the desire to develop cooperation with other Asian countries in various fields. “Russia is not limited only to China; Russia is willing, subject to certain conditions, to develop relations with such complex partners as Japan and South Korea,” Denisov concluded.