Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Michoustin is in Shanghai on Tuesday to attend an economic forum, part of a two-day visit during which he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Michoustine arrived in Shanghai late Monday evening, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. He was welcomed by the Russian Ambassador to China, Igor Morgoulov, as well as by the Chinese Ambassador to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui.
In Shanghai, the Russian prime minister is due to attend a Russia-China business forum and visit a petrochemical research institute, according to the Kremlin, and also hold talks with "representatives of Russian business circles" in China .
The forum invited a number of Russian businessmen targeted by Western sanctions, particularly in the key sectors of steel, mining and fertilizers, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Energy, Alexander Novak, according to the Bloomberg agency.
China last year became Russia's largest customer in the energy sector, allowing Moscow, under Western sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine, not to see its gas exports collapse.
An AFP photographer noted on Tuesday a strong police presence around the Russian consulate in Shanghai and the conference center where the economic forum is organized.
Mikhail Michoustin will travel to Beijing on Wednesday, where he will meet President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang, according to the Russian state agency Tass.
China and Russia have increased economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts in recent years.
Their strategic partnership has grown even stronger since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with analysts saying China now has the upper hand in the relationship, given Russia's isolation on the international stage.
Beijing claims to be neutral in this conflict and has never publicly condemned the invasion.
In February, the Chinese government issued a document calling for a "political settlement" of the conflict and respecting the territorial integrity of all countries - implying Ukraine included.
At a March summit in Moscow, President Xi invited his counterpart Vladimir Putin to come to Beijing.
23/05/2023 09:07:40 - Shanghai (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
