Xi and Putin meet to reaffirm China-Russia ties
Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing at a meeting aimed at reaffirming ties, coming just days after US President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
Xi welcomed Putin with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday.
Later, the two delegations held bilateral meetings, and then the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreements was held.
Experts say Putin’s visit comes just days after Trump’s visit to Beijing; This is intended to bolster Beijing’s image as an influential superpower.
“The message is clearly that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with whatever power it wants, and the United States is one of them,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.
Russian vice president Yuri Ushakov previously said there was “no connection” between Trump and Putin’s visits, noting that the Russian leader’s trip was agreed a few days after Putin and Xi spoke via video conference on February 4.
Russian and Chinese leaders are set to discuss energy and security, as well as their overall ties.
The two sides agreed to extend the friendship treaty first signed in 2001, Chinese state media reported.
China became Russia’s largest trading partner following 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 biggest customer for Russia’s 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 Russia’s arms industries.
Ushakov said that Russia’s oil exports to China increased by 35 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the largest exporters of natural gas to China.
Ushakov said Russia remains a reliable energy supplier during the “crisis in the Middle East” and China is a “responsible consumer.”
Putin said earlier this month that Moscow and Beijing “have taken a very important step forward in our cooperation in the oil and gas sector.”
“Almost all important issues have been agreed upon,” he said.
“I will be extremely pleased if we manage to complete these details and bring them to a conclusion during this visit,” he said.
Putin also praised bilateral relations as a vital and balancing force in international relations.
“The interaction between countries like China and Russia undoubtedly serves as an element of deterrence and stability,” he said.
Putin added that Moscow welcomes China’s dialogue with the United States as another element of stability for the global economy.
“We are only prepared to benefit from this, from the stability and constructive interaction between the United States and China,” he said.
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