The talks with Xi Jinping are scheduled to take place in two phases on 18 October: first in a larger setting, followed by a working breakfast session. The Kremlin has not ruled out the possibility that Putin and Xi will discuss “the most sensitive issues” face-to-face outside of the talks.
Putin will deliver a speech at the Belt and Road forum during his China visit.
The Russian delegation consists of high-ranking government and business officials.
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met Putin at the airport in Beijing.
The purpose of the travel, according to Reuters, was to demonstrate trust and a “no-limits” partnership between the two countries, despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
This is Putin’s second international excursion since March, when the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for him. It is also the Kremlin chief’s first official journey outside the former Soviet Union this year, following a visit to the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan earlier this month.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), which has accused Vladimir Putin of illegally expelling children from Ukraine, has ordered 123 member states to arrest and extradite the Russian president to The Hague if he steps foot on their territory.
Neither Kyrgyzstan nor China are members of the International Criminal Court, which was established to prosecute war crimes.
