London

CHINESE President Xi Jinping makes a state visit to Russia next week from Monday to Wednesday for meetings with President Vladimir Putin. The trip, just before the G20 in Germany, will underline the growing bilateral dialogue between Beijing and Moscow, including on key regional and global issues such as the Korean nuclear stand-off.

Coming after May's Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, attended by both Mr Xi and Mr Putin, the primary emphasis of the visit is to try to deepen the bilateral political and economic partnership. China and Russia already enjoy a relatively extensive economic dialogue, which has warmed in several aspects since the crisis in Ukraine that saw Moscow's suspension from the G8.