China announces landmark Putin-Xi meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will hold a historic meeting in September that will give a powerful boost to relations between the two countries, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui told TASS in an interview.

"A solemn meeting will be held in Beijing dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War," he said. "The leaders of China and Russia will once again hold an important meeting of historic significance, which will determine the direction of the further development of bilateral relations and give new impetus to deepening cooperation in all areas," Zhang Hanhui said.

The envoy emphasized that China and Russia are good neighbors connected by "shared rivers and mountains" and are "time-tested true friends who always regard each other as priority partners for cooperation."

He noted that China-Russia relations are based on the fundamental interests and common needs of the two countries, they have a clear historical logic and powerful internal driving forces.

According to the diplomat, they are among the most stable, mature and strategically valuable relations between major powers in the modern world.

"Our nations have successfully charted the right course for the coexistence of two neighboring great powers. Over the past decade, under the strategic leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, China-Russia ties have risen to their highest level in history. They are defined by lasting good neighborliness, genuine friendship, and broad strategic cooperation built on mutual benefit," Zhang Hanhui said.

According to the diplomat, the development of high-level China-Russia relations "not only meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries, but also corresponds to the general expectations of the international community regarding global cooperation between major and neighboring powers."

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian leader is preparing for his upcoming "unprecedented" visit to China, which will take place before the Russian leader attends the Eastern Economic Forum.