Allied countries that take care of their relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Russia from September 18 to 21 for security discussions, his ministry announced Monday, September 18.

“At the invitation of Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Wang Yi… will travel to Russia to participate in the 18th session of the China-Russia Strategic Security Consultations,” said a statement published on the ministry website. Longtime allies, China and Russia frequently tout their “limitless” partnership and their economic and military cooperation set to intensify.

Their ties have grown even closer since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which China has refused to criticize. Last month, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu visited Russia and Belarus, and called for closer military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow.

In recent months, the two countries have carried out joint maritime and air patrols, which led South Korea to deploy fighter jets as a precaution.

In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, is due to go to China in October, one of his advisers announced in July.

China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the war in Ukraine, while offering Russia, increasingly isolated on the international stage, crucial diplomatic and financial support.