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Vladimir Putin invites Xi Jinping to visit Russia next spring to show strength of ties with China
- The two presidents exchanged messages hailing the strength of their partnership in a year-end video call
- Russia is feeling the impact of Western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, but Putin said it has now become one of China’s biggest gas suppliers this year
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Vladimir Putin has invited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to visit Russia next spring to “demonstrate to the whole world how strong the Russian-Chinese friendship is”.
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In a year-end video call, the pair also reaffirmed their strong ties in trade and energy as Russia continues to be targeted by Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese side did not say whether Xi had accepted the invitation.
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Putin said Russia-China relations are in “the best period in their history”, according to a statement from the Kremlin, adding: “In the context of growing geopolitical tension, the importance of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership as a stabilising factor is growing.”
Russia’s trade in both oil and gas with China has jumped significantly following the imposition of Western sanctions.
The Russian leader said the country is now China’s second largest supplier of pipeline gas and fourth largest provider of liquefied natural gas, with 13.8 billion cubic metres of gas shipped to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline in the first 11 months of 2022. Last month, Russia also overtook Saudi Arabia to become China’s largest oil supplier.
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Putin said trade between the two countries will grow by about 25 per cent by the end of 2022, reaching a record high.
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