Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to China on Saturday is expected to extend the two nations' economic, military and cultural cooperation, while a multi-billion-dollar high-speed deal expected to be signed, experts said.

 

专家表示，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京周六对中国的正式访问有望扩大两国在经济、军事以及文化方面的合作，以及签署一些数十亿美元的协议。

 

Leaders of the two countries will discuss further developing Russia-China relations and cooperation in trade, economy, investments, science and humanitarian¹ efforts, according to the Kremlin Press Service.

 

"Putin's visit may mainly focus on the two nations' economic cooperation, as well as propelling the signed contracts and projects forward, including a high-speed rail deal," Li Xing, a professor of Russian affairs at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

 

China has agreed to provide a 400-billion-ruble ($46.2 billion) loan for Russia's Moscow-Kazan High Speed Rail Project, Russian news portal sputniknews.com reported in April.

 

"High-speed rail is a crucial part of Sino-Russian economic cooperation as Russia revitalizes its economy. The railway deal is expected to be signed during the visit," Li said.

 

Russia is also considering a free trade agreement with several countries, including China, which experts believe might be discussed during the visit.

 

"Russia's economy is still floundering, which may lead to a diminished Eurasian Economic Union. The group needs to cooperate with other major economic entities² to thrive, and China might be a good partner," Zhang Hong, a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

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