Putin to be China’s special guest at the G20 summit

In a sign of deepening strategic embrace between Beijing and Moscow, China has named Russian President Vladimir Putin as the number one figure at the 2016 G20 summit to be held in Hangzhou in September. “President Putin will be the most important guest in Hangzhou which he will visit at the invitation of (Chinese president) Xi Jinping,” a Chinese diplomat said recently. “The two heads of state will have a separate meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit to discuss the results of Putin’s visit to China held onJune 25 as well as the promotion of Russian-Chinese relations,” said Gui Congyou, Director-General of the Department of European-Central Asian Affairs, in China’s foreign office. China will host its first G20 summit in the picturesque city of Hangzhou on September 4-5, which will focus on “building an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy” as the main theme. China has proposed four key priorities, which includes “innovative growth modes,” “more efficient global economic and financial governance,” “robust international trade and investment” and “inclusive and interconnected development.”