China welcomes upcoming Putin-Trump summit

China welcomes the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China believed an improvement in relations between Moscow and Washington will contribute to the world’s stability.

On Wednesday, Kremlin aide, Yury Ushakov, said that the time and place for the Putin-Trump meeting had been agreed, adding that Moscow would announce the arrangements simultaneously with Washington on Thursday.

“If the United States and Russia can strengthen contacts and dialogue, it will surely contribute to promoting international peace and development.

“It will also help to jointly react to the global challenges faced by the international community. We welcome it,’’ Lu Kang, the ministry’s spokesman, said at a briefing.

Lu added that Russia and the U.S. were the permanent members of the UN Security Council and important players on the international arena, which meant that they had a special responsibility to maintain peace and security.

According to the Kremlin, the Putin-Trump summit will take place in a third country and will include face-to-face talks and a joint press point.

The parties are expected to discuss strategic stability, control over nuclear weapons, regional crises in Syria and Ukraine, and the situation around the Korean Peninsula and Iranian nuclear deal.