Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are set to meet this week in person for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year.

The Chinese and Russian premiers are set to sit down together on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2022 in Uzbekistan, according to the Kremlin.

While the two will have much to discuss, the shipping industry will be on the lookout for signs of how Russia intends to find new markets for its energy commodities after Western sanctions come into force later this year.