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Russian Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu arrived in Beijing on Friday for high-level meetings with Chinese leadership, Russian news agencies reported.
“During the one-day visit, [Shoigu] is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi,” the state-run TASS news agency said.
Shoigu’s visit comes days after Xi held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the Chinese leader praised Moscow’s “positive efforts to defuse” the war in Ukraine.
Russian state media said Shoigu would discuss security cooperation and regional issues with Chinese officials. His trip marks his second visit to China in three months, according to Russian media.
Shoigu, Russia’s former defense minister and now secretary of the Security Council, also met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur this week, as well as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin in Jakarta.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing have deepened their military and trade ties, though China has maintained a stance of neutrality. Beijing has never condemned Russia’s actions, prompting some NATO members to label it an “enabler” of the war in Ukraine.
