Chinese leader Xi Jinping could visit Russia next year, likely after the session of the Chinese parliament that traditionally takes place in early spring, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov has said in an interview with Russian journalists, APA reports citing Sputnik.
“A state visit to Russia by the president of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) should be organized next year, which is likely to take place, as we can assume, after the sessions of the Chinese parliament, traditionally held in early spring,” Morgulov said.
He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi “regularly exchange messages and communicate by telephone and video,” adding that “contacts at the highest level are the main driving and guiding force of ties between Russia and China.
Morgulov added that “the close attention paid by the leaders to the development of mutual cooperation and the personal relationships of trust and friendship that have developed between them” is of particular importance.
The ambassador recalled that the leaders met during Putin’s visit to China to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Uzbek city of Samarkand in September.
The ambassador also said that the next meeting of the heads of governments of Russia and China is currently being coordinated and could take place in December via teleconferencing.