Putin in China as Xi Balances Russia Partnership and US Engagement
Russian President Vladimir Putin is heading to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping just days after U.S. President Donald Trump completed his visit to Beijing.
Putin is set to visit China on Tuesday and Wednesday, a trip that will be closely observed as Beijing aims to keep stable relations with the United States while also strengthening its connections with Russia.
The Kremlin announced that Putin and Xi intend to talk about economic collaboration between their nations, as well as "important international and regional matters."
The visit aligns with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship, which was signed in 2001.
In a video message shared ahead of his trip, Putin stated that bilateral relations are at "a genuinely unparalleled level" and this partnership holds significant global importance, as reported by China's official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday.
Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov informed reporters Monday that there is "no connection" between Trump's trip to China and Putin's, emphasizing that the Russian leader's visit was arranged beforehand, a few days after Putin and Xi held a videoconference on Feb. 4.
"Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based think tank Center for China & Globalization, stated that the Trump visit aimed at stabilizing the world's crucial bilateral relationship, while the Putin visit focuses on reassuring a key strategic partner." "For China, these two paths do not contradict each other."
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Putin's most recent trip to China occurred in September 2025 for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, where he attended a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II's conclusion and met with Xi.
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During that period, Xi referred to his counterpart as an "old friend," while Putin called Xi "dear friend." In China, the term "old friend" is a unique diplomatic expression employed by the government and party to refer to favored foreign individuals.
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In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled to Beijing and met with Xi, who referred to the bilateral ties as "valuable" within the present international landscape. Xi stated that China and Russia must enhance their strategic partnership to protect their legitimate, common interests and ensure the unity of Global South nations.