Putin to discuss with China’s foreign minister preparations for Xi’s Moscow visit - Kremlin

MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday to discuss preparations for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow on May 8. "The president will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow today," the Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists, adding that the two men would focus primarily on "preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit [to Moscow] alongside comprehensive talks [with Putin], scheduled for May 8". In mid-March, Putin had a meeting with Li Zhanshu, head of the General Office of the Communist Party of China, in Moscow, where they also discussed Xi’s forthcoming visit. Earlier reports said that Xi had given a positive response to the Kremlin’s invitation to visit Russia and confirmed he would join in May ceremonies in Moscow marking 70 years since Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two. Putin is expected to travel to Beijing in September to attend World War Two commemorations. Peskov said that prior to his meeting with Wang, the Russian leader will attend a very important State Council meeting dedicated to problems of small and medium-sized businesses. "The meeting is very important and promises to be quite interesting and productive. We do not exclude various initiatives," Peskov said, noting also "several bilateral meetings and telephone calls" Putin was going to make later in the day. Read more