Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a visa-free travel regime with China, following Beijing’s earlier move to temporarily suspend the visa requirement for Russians. 

“It [the no-visa policy] will be a positive boost for the development of our relations,” Putin said Tuesday while hosting Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang in the Kremlin.

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists that the visa requirement for Chinese nationals would be dropped “very quickly.” 

“The president has said so. All necessary preparations will soon be completed,” Peskov said. 

Putin said the regime for Chinese citizens would be “reciprocal,” but didn’t share details. Russian nationals can currently remain in China for up to 30 days without a visa under a year-long trial policy announced by Beijing in September.

Putin has been attempting to deepen relations with China since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, aiming to reduce the country’s reliance on the U.S. and Europe. Weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow and Beijing signed a “no-limits” partnership that declared the two powers have “no forbidden areas for cooperation.”

Following the deal, Chinese exports to Russia spiked, with mutual trade now four times higher than it was a decade ago.

Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the decision of Europe and Japan to halt air traffic with Russia, tourism between Russia and China has also grown, with China now among the top destinations for Russian travelers. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the EU have previously accused China of supporting the Russian war effort in Ukraine, with the Ukrainian leader saying Beijing has supplied weapons.