China says top diplomat Wang Yi to visit Russia this week

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will visit
Russia this week for a security meeting of BRICS emerging economies,
Beijing’s foreign ministry said Monday.

At the invitation of senior Russian official Sergei Shoigu, Wang will attend
a meeting of BRICS “high-ranking officials responsible for security matters”
and national security advisers, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in an
online statement.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in the city of St
Petersburg, Mao added.

Wang’s visit comes in advance of a BRICS summit next month that President Xi
Jinping is expected to attend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week said he was expecting Xi at the
Kazan meeting from October 22 to 24.

Putin has looked to the Chinese leader for support since Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine in 2022, with the allies boosting trade to record highs as Moscow
faces heavy economic sanctions from the West.

The BRICS group, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa, represents almost half the world’s population and has since expanded
to include other major emerging economies including the United Arab Emirates
and Iran.

The group is set to hold a summit in the southwestern city of Kazan next
month, in what the Kremlin hopes will be a chance to expand its influence and
forge closer economic alliances.

Moscow and Beijing both rail against “Western hegemony”, particularly what
they see as US domination of global affairs, and declared a “no limits”
partnership shortly before Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine.

Last month, Putin said Russia’s economic and trade links with China were
“yielding results” as he welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang to the Kremlin. (BSS/AFP)