Putin heads to China next week

Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing next week to reinforce closer ties of their countries.

Beijing is hosting representatives of 130 countries on 17 to 18 October to mark a decade of its Belt and Road Initiative, a key geopolitical project of Xi 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 neighboring Ukraine thrust his country into international isolation.

Putin has hardly ventured beyond his country's borders since the war, with next week's trip the first to a major global power.

This year, trade between the two powers 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.

WITH AFP