Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week, marking a rare overseas visit for the Russian leader.

According to a Politico report, the meeting will take place during Putin’s Oct. 17-18 visit to China. Putin is attending a forum celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s expansive global infrastructure program.

The relationship between China and Russia has been a cause of concern for the U.S., especially since Beijing has refrained from condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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In the face of Western sanctions over this invasion, Russia has ramped up its energy exports to China. This has led the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, to call on China to leverage its influence over Russia to halt the conflict.

The Belt and Road Initiative Forum will see representatives from over 100 countries converge in Beijing. This comes at a time when China faces economic turbulence largely due to a property downturn.

The visit to Beijing is Putin’s second international trip since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March. Neither China nor Kyrgyzstan, where Putin recently attended a summit, are members of the ICC.

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