Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and chairman of the United Russia party, was welcomed in Beijing yesterday, responding to an invitation from the Chinese Community Party, Xinhua reported. However Russian media billed the trip as unexpected and a “surprise.”
This news service had previously reported unconfirmed reports that Presidents Xi and Putin were going to meet before the end of the year which obviously isn’t going to happen. When Medvedev met with Xi, he delivered a personal letter from Putin.
Medvedev’s meeting with Xi also included Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as other top-level officials. Xi reportedly handed Medvedev a letter for Putin. According to TASS, they discussed a number of issues of common concern, emphasizing the “broad convergence of views” they have on the world’s most pressing problems. Special emphasis was placed on “strategic foreign policy coordination” especially at the United Nations and at other multilateral platforms such as the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the G20.
