BEIJING, Dec 11, 2024 (AFP) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is visiting Beijing this week for talks with leaders of the key Moscow partner, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

"The visit to China by Mr. Medvedev... is an important high-level exchange between China and Russia," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular press conference.

Mao did not provide further details about the itinerary or meetings planned for the former president, now serving as deputy head of the Russian security council.

Russian state-run news agency TASS reported earlier that Medvedev's visit -- his first to China since December 2022 -- would include discussions with "senior Chinese government officials".

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin's February 2022 launch of a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, China has sought to present itself as a neutral party, unlike the United States and other Western nations.

But it remains a close political and economic partner of Russia, leading some NATO members to brand Beijing an "enabler" of the war, which Beijing has never condemned.

Medvedev has a limited role in the Russian political system and is now mostly known for his anti-West diatribes on social media.