Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart and his “long-time good friend” Xi Jinping, intending to show their ties are unshakeable days after a visit by Donald Trump.
The confirmation of Putin’s trip came just hours after Trump wrapped up his visit on Friday, the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade and one aimed at stabilising their turbulent relations.
Putin and Xi are set to discuss how to “further strengthen” Russia and China’s strategic partnership and “exchange views on key international and regional issues”, according to a Kremlin statement.
Their ties have deepened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since.
Setting warm tones for the visit, the two leaders exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday to mark 30 years of their countries’ strategic partnership.
Xi said cooperation between Russia and China had “continuously deepened and solidified”, according to Chinese state media.
And in a video message to the Chinese people released on Tuesday, Putin said relations have reached “a truly unprecedented level” and that “trade between Russia and China continues to grow”.
“The close strategic relationship between Russia and China plays a major, stabilising role globally. Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity,” Putin added, without mentioning any third country.
The two leaders are also expected to sign a joint declaration after the talks.
‘Dear, old friends’
Putin, who in turn called Xi his “dear friend”, will be keen to show the world their relations are unaffected by Trump’s visit.
While Putin’s visit is not expected to receive the same pomp as Trump’s, “the Xi-Putin relationship does not require that kind of performative reassurance”, said Patricia Kim from the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Both sides view ties as “structurally stronger and more stable” than China-US ones, she added.
While Beijing has regularly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine, now over four years long, it has never condemned Russia for sending in troops — presenting itself as a neutral party.
Trump and Xi discussed Ukraine last week, but the US president left China without a breakthrough.
“Xi will almost certainly brief Putin on his summit with Trump,” Kim said.
The lack of clear outcomes from the Xi-Trump meeting though “likely reassures Moscow that Xi did not strike any understanding with Trump that would materially undercut Russian interests”.
Appetite for oil
Putin will be hoping for China to deepen its commitment to Moscow, after Trump told Fox News during his visit that Beijing had agreed to buy US oil to feed its “insatiable” appetite for energy.
With Russia reliant on sales to China to sustain its war effort, “Putin does not want to lose that support”, Asia Society’s Lyle Morris told AFP.
“Putin will likely be keen to hear from Xi about China’s next step in the Middle East,” added Morris, after “Trump signalled clearly that he hopes Beijing will play a leading role”.
When it comes to the US-Israeli war on Iran though, China and Russia may have different priorities.
“(China) relies on the freedom of the world’s major waterways to sustain its economic activities, and would prefer that the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz end sooner rather than later,” James Char of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University told AFP.
On the other hand, Moscow has “been benefitting economically from the fighting in Iran due to the relaxation of sanctions against Russian energy supplies, so may have a different view”.
After meeting Xi in April, Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov said Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as the war hits global supplies.
“Expanded energy ties may feature prominently at the meeting (as) Beijing seeks more Russian energy,” said Joseph Webster from the Atlantic Council.
“From Moscow’s perspective, shipping more oil east may be more attractive in the wake of Ukraine’s relentless campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure,” he said.
