Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov in China ahead of Putin visit
Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov arrived in Beijing on Monday ahead of an expected visit by President Vladimir Putin to China, for a gathering of representatives of 130 countries that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Gaza war.
This will be Putin's first trip to a major global power since the Ukraine invasion.
The foreign ministry announced on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that Lavrov was in the Chinese capital as part of a Russian delegation.
Beijing is hosting representatives of 130 countries Tuesday to Wednesday to mark a decade of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a key geopolitical project of President Xi Jinping to extend China's global reach.
But all eyes will be on Putin, who last month told Beijing's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Saint Petersburg he had «gladly accepted» Xi's invitation to visit China for the BRI talking shop.
The Russian leader's strategic dependence on China has only grown since his invasion of neighbouring Ukraine thrust his country into international isolation.
Putin last week voiced concern at the «catastrophic increase» in the number of civilian victims in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The Kremlin ambassador to the United Nations has called for a «humanitarian cease-fire» in the Gaza Strip and Israel, while blaming the United States for the ongoing conflict.
This year, trade between China and Russia has soared to levels not seen since the beginning of Moscow's war in Ukraine, with Chinese imports of Russian oil offering Moscow a critical lifeline as international sanctions bite.
China has refused to condemn the war in an effort to position itself as a neutral party, while at the same time offering Moscow vital diplomatic and financial support.
At the heart of the
