BEIJING, May 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China this week on the invitation of leader Xi Jinping, Beijing's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Putin will be in Beijing from Thursday to Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, in the Russian leader's second trip to China in just over six months.

Days before Russia launched its full-scale military assault on Ukraine in February 2022, Beijing and Moscow declared a "no limits" partnership and have since boosted trade to record highs.

Moscow has looked to China as a crucial economic lifeline since the West hit Russia with unprecedented sanctions over its military offensive.

China has meanwhile benefited from cheap Russian energy imports and access to vast natural resources, including steady gas shipments via the Power of Siberia pipeline.

But their close economic partnership has come under close scrutiny in the West, with the United States threatening to sanction overseas banks and companies that work with Moscow.