Close coordination with China on foreign policy crucial in a difficult world, says Vladimir Putin

In a challenging world, close coordination with China on foreign policy issues is crucial, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is attending the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 17-18 said on Wednesday. “In the current difficult conditions, close foreign policy coordination is especially necessary - which is what we are doing, and today we will also discuss all of this,” Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting in Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 17-18. It is Putin’s first trip outside the former Soviet Union since March when the Hague-based International Criminal Court issued a warrant for him over the deportation of children from Ukraine. China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 during a previous Putin visit to Beijing, just days before Moscow troops launched an attack on Ukraine. The value of China’s imports and exports to Russia stood at $190 billion for the whole of 2022, up 29% from 2021, according to Chinese customs data. With inputs from Reuters.