Xi and Putin meet to reaffirm China-Russia ties : NPR
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters
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Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters
BEIJING — Chinese Leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Wednesday in a meeting designed to reaffirm ties that comes just days after a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to China.
Xi welcomed Putin in a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. The two delegations then held bilateral talks, which were followed by a signing ceremony of cooperation agreements.
Putin’s visit comes just days after Trump’s trip to Beijing – in a sequence designed to cement Beijing’s image as an influential superpower, experts say.
“The message clearly is that China has a friendship and strategic partnership with any power it chooses, and the United States is just one of them,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.
Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov earlier said there was “no connection” between Trump and Putin’s visits, pointing out that the Russian leader’s trip was agreed upon several days after Putin and Xi spoke via video conference on February 4.
Russian and Chinese leaders are expected to discuss energy and security as well as their overall relations. The two sides agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001, Chinese state media reported.
Children waving Russian and Chinese flags march before a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters
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Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters
China became Russia’s largest trading partner after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions from the United States and Europe.
China is the main customer for Russian oil and gas supplies, and Moscow expects the war in Iran to increase demand. China has also ignored Western demands to stop supplying high-tech components to Russian arms industries.
Ushakov said Russia’s oil exports to China increased by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and Russia was one of the largest exporters of natural gas to China.
During “the crisis in the Middle East,” Russia remains a reliable energy supplier and China is a “responsible consumer,” Ushakov said.
Putin noted earlier this month that Moscow and Beijing had taken “a very substantial step forward in our cooperation in the oil and gas sector.”
“Virtually all the key issues have been agreed,” he said. “If we can finalize these details and bring them to fruition during this visit, I will be extremely happy.”
Putin also hailed their bilateral ties as a crucial balancing force in international relations.
“The interaction between countries like China and Russia undoubtedly constitutes a factor of deterrence and stability,” he said.
Moscow welcomes the dialogue between China and the United States, which it sees as another stabilizing element in the global economy, Putin added.
“We can only benefit from this, from the stability and constructive engagement between the United States and China,” he said.
