Russian Premier Mishustin to visit China next week

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will pay a two-day official visit to China next week, Beijing announced on Friday.

The visit, beginning Monday, comes at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.

Li and Mishustin will hold the 30th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government, the ministry said.

The sides will “comprehensively review cooperation progress in various areas, plan the next stage of collaboration, and exchange in-depth views on issues of common concern,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.

“We look forward to using this regular meeting between the two premiers to further enhance mutual trust, build greater consensus, deepen cooperation, and inject new impetus into the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era," Guo added.

During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing in May last year, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a joint statement to further deepen their strategic partnership as the two nations marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Bilateral trade between Russia and China has also reached a new milestone, hitting $240 billion.