'Close Cooperation' Putin and Xi Jinping to Reunite at BRICS Summit in October

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will reunite at the BRICS summit of emerging economies to be held in Russia next month.

According to TASS news agency, Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party (also serving as Foreign Minister), said on the 12th (local time) during a meeting with President Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia, "President Xi was very pleased to accept your invitation to attend the BRICS summit."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also announced on the same day that President Xi will attend the BRICS summit to be held in Kazan, Russia, from the 22nd to the 24th of next month, AFP reported.

President Putin plans to hold a separate bilateral meeting with President Xi at the BRICS summit to discuss cooperation between the two countries.

With this, President Putin and President Xi will have met four times within a year, showcasing the close ties between China and Russia. The two leaders previously held talks at the China Belt and Road Forum (connecting China, Central Asia, and Europe via land and maritime Silk Roads) in October last year, during President Putin’s state visit to Beijing in May this year, and at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan in July.

President Putin stated that the bilateral relationship is successfully developing in various fields including international affairs, economy, and humanitarian issues, adding, "We will discuss all of this at the multilateral and bilateral meetings with President Xi in Kazan."

He also said, "China and Russia have become the most important forces advancing the process of global multipolarization," evaluating that the two countries are receiving support from the Global South (mainly emerging and developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere) by jointly upholding the principles of a fair and democratic world order.

BRICS is an international consultative body consisting of emerging economies including China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa. Following the approval of new members such as Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at last year’s summit, further expansion is expected to be discussed this year as well.