Xi and Putin to meet face-to-face next week, Russian envoy says

Xi Jinping, China's president, speaks at the West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday, June 30, 2022. Xi arrived in Hong Kong for its 25th anniversary of Chinese rule, in his first trip to the city since overseeing twin crackdowns on political dissent and Covid-19 that risked the former British colony???s future as an international center of commerce. Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines of a summit in Uzbekistan next week, Russia’s envoy to Beijing Andrey Denisov told reporters on Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

The expected meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit would be the first face-to-face between the two leaders, who have established a close relationship, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

It would also be the first overseas trip for Xi since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

The SCO summit will be held on September 15 to 16 in Samarkand.