The Chinese Foreign Ministry has announced a virtual meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. CGTN's Wang Hui spoke with the China Institute of International Studies' Cui Hongjian for his views on what we can expect from the Xi-Putin virtual meeting. 

Bilateral ties between China and Russia are at their highest in decades, and it is set to get another boost on Wednesday in an announced virtual meeting between the two presidents.

Cui said the two leaders have a lot of reasons to hail their countries' relationship.

"Their bilateral ties have made significant strides in various aspects. They have seen rapid development in bilateral trade and economy. Without a doubt, the two sides' political trust is at its best," he said.

According to the Chinese Commerce Ministry, bilateral trade in goods reached a record high of over $115 billion in the first 10 months of the year, exceeding the total volume of goods traded in 2020.

On the geopolitical front, Cui expects the two leaders to exchange views on Afghanistan as both Beijing and Moscow have previously expressed concerns over Afghanistan being a staging ground for extremist and terrorist organizations.

"The withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan have caused new uncertainty in the region and this impacts China and Russia," Cui said.

"I think the two countries should closely cooperate to cope with the situation, including the possible security risks, a resurgence of terrorism, the rebuilding of Afghanistan and how China and Russia can provide their support and help."

Another key issue on the two leaders' agenda will be the United States, which has initiated policies to contain the rising influence of China and Russia. The Xi-Putin meeting comes after Putin's virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on December 7 and Xi's talks with Biden on November 16. The Chinese and Russian leaders will very likely exchange notes on their respective talks with Biden.

"A major hidden worry in this trilateral relationship among U.S., China and Russia is distrust, especially since China and Russia are close," Cui continued. "I think Xi and Putin will need to discuss America's policies with each other and how they might react to them. It's a very important part of strengthening bilateral strategic trust."

Cui said the U.S. is likely to adjust its policies on China and Russia next year, and it's best for Beijing and Moscow to take a proactive stance by anticipating such moves.