Russian Security Council Secretary and former Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu will travel to China today to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Chinese diplomacy announced today.
Shoigu, who will remain in China until November 15, will participate in the 19th annual round of strategic security consultations between Beijing and Moscow and the 9th meeting of the Sino-Russian mechanism for cooperation in security and law enforcement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Shoigu was dismissed from his post as Russia's defense minister in May following criticism of his management of Russian forces in the war in Ukraine.
Current Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun called last month in Beijing for closer strategic military cooperation between the two countries.
"Russian-Chinese military cooperation is an important element in enhancing defense potential and maintaining regional and global stability," Belousov said at the time.
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, China has maintained an ambiguous position, calling for respect for the "territorial integrity of all countries," including Ukraine, and for attention to the "legitimate concerns of all countries," referring to Russia, with which it has intensified ties in recent years.
