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Xi and Putin meet to reaffirm China-Russia ties days after Trump's visit
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The Associated Press
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.
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The two sides agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001, Chinese state media reported.
Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.
China is the top customer for Russian oil and gas supplies, and Moscow expects the war in Iran to increase the demand.
Putin noted earlier this month that Moscow and Beijing have reached "a very substantial step forward in our cooperation in the oil and gas sector."
"Practically all the key issues have been agreed upon," he said. "If we succeed in finalizing these details and bringing them to a conclusion during this visit, I will be extremely pleased."
Putin also praised their bilateral relationship as a crucial, balancing force in international relations.
"Interaction between such nations as China and Russia undoubtedly serves as a factor of deterrence and stability," he said.
Moscow welcomes China's dialogue with the U.S. as another stabilizing element for the global economy, Putin added.
"We stand only to benefit from this, from the stability and constructive engagement between the U.S. and China," he said.
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− Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters hide caption
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday in a meeting meant to reaffirm ties and that takes place only days after a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to China.
+ Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters hide caption
BEIJING — Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his close ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and said their countries are partners in trade and international affairs as they opened bilateral talks Wednesday on his trip to Beijing.
− China: Inside a great power rivalry Key takeaways from Trump's China trip Xi welcomed Putin with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.
+ China: Inside a great power rivalry Key takeaways from Trump's China trip Xi welcomed Putin with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People only days after meeting with U.S.
− The two delegations later held bilateral talks, to be followed by a ceremony for signing cooperation agreements.
+ President Donald Trump. The quick succession of Trump's and Putin's visits highlighted Beijing's growing role as an international superpower, experts say.
− Putin's visit comes just days after Trump's own trip to Beijing – in a sequence that is meant to cement Beijing's image as an influential superpower, experts say.
+ Putin greeted Xi warmly as they met for bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People.
− "The message is clearly one that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with whichever power it likes, and the USA is just one of them," said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier that there was "no connection" between Trump and Putin's visits, noting the trip by the Russian leader was agreed several days after Putin and Xi spoke via videoconference on Feb.
+ "My dear friend," Putin said.
− 4.
The Russian and Chinese leaders are set to discuss energy and security as well as their overall ties.
+ "We are truly delighted to see you.
+ We keep in constant touch, both personally and through our aides in the government."
Xi also stressed the "political mutual trust and strategic cooperation" between the countries, according to Chinese state media. The two leaders have praised each other profusely in the past, with Xi at one point describing Putin as his "best and most intimate friend."
Children holding Russian and Chinese flags walk ahead of 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 hide caption
Xi and Putin were set to focus on energy and security as well as their overall ties.
− Children holding Russian and Chinese flags walk ahead of a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
+ China became Russia's top trading partner after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
− Maxim Shemetov/Pool Reuters hide caption
China became Russia's top trading partner following after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
+
In his meeting with Xi, Putin stressed their countries' economic ties.
"The driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese collaboration in the energy sector," Putin said.
− China also has ignored demands from the West to stop providing high-tech components for Russia's weapons industries.
+ "Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources, while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources."
Xi stressed the need of "complete cessation of hostilities" in the Middle East, according to Chinese state media.
− Ushakov said Russia's oil exports to China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to China.
+ "An early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to energy supply stability, the smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and international trade order," Xi said.
− During "the crisis in the Middle East," Russia remains a reliable energy supplier and China is a "responsible consumer," Ushakov said.
+ A Russian presidential aide said earlier Russia's oil exports to China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to China.
+ Putin also stressed China and Russia's cooperation in foreign policy as "one of the key stabilizing factors on the international stage."
"In the current tense situation on the international stage, our close cooperation is particularly in demand," he said.
In February 2022, just weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia announced a "no limits" partnership during a trip by Putin to Beijing.
Beijing says it is neutral in the conflict, though in practice it supports Moscow through frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military drills. China has also ignored demands from the West to stop providing high-tech components for Russia's weapons industries.
The two leaders are scheduled to sign cooperation agreements during Putin's two-day visit.
But regardless of specific deals, the primary purpose of the visit is to reaffirm the countries' ties as well as project Beijing's image as an influential superpower, experts say.
"The optics matter," said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.
"The message is clearly one that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with whichever power it likes, and the USA is just one of them."
Putin and Xi both need to use their close ties in order to prop up their images at home, said Willy Lam, a senior China fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.
Putin "needs to tell his countrymen and the world that Russia has China's support in terms of buying its oil and gas and other tangible and intangible financial support," Lam said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Alexander Kazakov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin hide caption
Meanwhile, for Xi, having both Trump and Putin visit in such close succession is a major source of credit with the country's top Communist leadership.