Belt and Road Initiative: what to expect from Putin's visit to China?

This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an important visit to China, which will demonstrate the strength and vast scale of friendly relations between the two countries.

During this period, the Belt and Road Initiative Forum will start in Beijing in honor of the 10th anniversary of the initiative to develop infrastructure from Asia to Europe and Africa.

It is expected that the Russian president will advocate the signing of new agreements in the field of energy and the expansion of infrastructure projects. He will also offer China new investment opportunities, filling the vacuum that has arisen after the departure of Western companies from Russia.

The Chinese themselves adhere to a cautious and moderate policy towards Russia. They primarily focus on acquiring additional shipments of Russian energy resources at favorable prices. Thus, the nature of the deals that will be concluded during this visit may shed light on China's geopolitical priorities.

New priorities have appeared in his strategy of transport routes. In light of the closure of almost all trade routes through Ukraine and Belarus, as well as the decline in exports to the EU, China has focused on the countries of Central Asia. 

Today, transport routes associated with the Belt and Road Initiative play an important role not only in generating transit revenue and attracting investment, but also in redirecting trade flows to China and Southeast Asia, as well as in the opposite direction.