Foreign Ministry previews Xi's Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus visits

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Russia, where he will attend a parade for the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, will show the strength of China-Russia ties and their resolve to safeguard world peace, said Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping on Monday.

Xi will visit Russia from Friday to Sunday, attending a Victory Day parade on Saturday in Moscow's Red Square.

As well as the war anniversary, this year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.

China and Russia, as the main Asian and European battlefields in WWII, victorious nations in that conflict and founding members of the United Nations, made great contributions to victory in WWII and post-war order, said Cheng at a news briefing on Xi's tour of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.

The two countries will jointly hold a series of celebrations within bilateral or multilateral frameworks this year in order to remember history and martyrs, cherish peace and shape the future, he said.

In Moscow, Xi will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and meet with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

He will also meet with Russian WWII veterans and attend activities organized for the China-Russia Year of Youth Exchanges.

The two heads of state will ink a joint statement on strengthening the China-Russia partnership and advocating cooperation, according to Cheng.

They will also discuss the docking of China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with Russia's related idea for a trade and infrastructure network across Eurasia, as well as the development of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, he said.