2 weeks ago
1
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives successful Beijing connected Tuesday (May 19, 2026) for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, looking to deepen a strategical concern stretching from Scandinavia to Southeast Asia.
Underpinning the 2 atomic powers’ relations is China’s economical heft complemented by Russia’s immense lipid production, apt astatine the forefront of talks this week.
Here’s what to cognize up of the meeting:
Firm friends, predominant visits
Mr. Putin is simply a regular visitant to China and has met Mr. Xi dozens of times, with the 2 leaders often calling to widen messages, condolences and congratulations — including day wishes.
This week marks his 25th travel to China, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said connected Monday (May 18, 2026).
The Russian person past visited China successful September arsenic Mr. Xi’s impermanent of honour to a monolithic subject parade.
Mr. Putin said this week helium was “confident” helium and Mr. Xi would “do everything imaginable to deepen the Russia-China partnership”.
Beijing frames its narration with Moscow arsenic “ironclad” — and aft welcoming Mr. Trump with pomp and ceremony, Mr. Xi volition beryllium keen to amusement China-Russia ties stay beardown arsenic ever, experts said.
It is simply a “reminder to Washington that this is simply a coagulated narration of 30 years-plus standing”, said Natasha Kuhrt of King’s College London.
That representation is simply a precedence for Mr. Putin, who calls Mr. Xi a “dear friend”, added Zhao Long, from the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
“Moscow wants reassurance that Russia inactive occupies a privileged spot successful China’s strategical calculus,” helium said.
Unequal relationship, shared interests
The China-Russia relationship, however, is acold from equal.
Bilateral commercialized has surged since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine to much than treble the level seen successful 2020, according to information from the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).
More than 70% of China’s imports from Russia consisted of mineral fuel, it added, with Russian lipid exports to China rising astir 30% since 2022.
However, imports from Russia accounted for lone astir 5% of China’s imports successful 2025, according to Chinese customs data.
Conversely, China accounted for much than a 3rd of Russia’s imports and much than a 4th of its exports successful 2025, according to the Russian quality bureau TASS.
Nevertheless, the 2 countries, whose borderline spans 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles), stock communal absorption to a satellite bid dominated by the United States and the West.
They are besides long-standing partners of Iran and North Korea.
Days aft Trump
Mr. Putin’s travel — his archetypal overseas this twelvemonth — comes days aft Mr. Trump visited Beijing and experts accidental the back-to-back nature of the meetings is “significant” — contempt schedules acceptable agelong successful advance.
The bid of the visits means “Mr. Xi tin evidently little Mr. Putin connected the takeaways from the Trump meeting”, Kuhrt said.
In Beijing, Mr. Trump lavished Mr. Xi with praise, calling him a “great leader”, and touted “fantastic commercialized deals” and shared desires for deals successful Ukraine and Iran.
“China and Russia bash often coordinate strategically earlier and aft interactions with different large powers, which itself reflects a precocious level of communal trust,” said Zhao.
But, helium said, the timing “should not beryllium overinterpreted”.
Mr. Xi held calls with the U.S. and Russian leaders connected the aforesaid time successful February, speaking archetypal to Mr. Putin via video earlier phoning Mr. Trump hours later.
Ukraine sidelined?
Russia’s four-year penetration of Ukraine was among a database of thorny issues Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi discussed past week.
“It’s 1 that we’d similar to spot settled,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One aft departing the Chinese capital.
But portion reaching a decision connected Ukraine is simply a precedence for Mr. Putin, China “is improbable to go the main designer of the colony process”, Zhao said.
“Any factual ceasefire arrangements oregon governmental roadmap volition yet beryllium connected the inaugural of the cardinal actors involved.”
This week, Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi volition sermon “international and determination issues of communal concern”, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said connected Monday (May 18, 2026).
China has regularly called for talks to extremity the fighting, but it has ne'er condemned Russia for sending troops into Ukraine and presents itself arsenic a neutral party.
Beijing besides denies providing Moscow with weapons and subject components for its defence industry.
Pipeline progress
China is the world’s apical purchaser of Russian fossil fuels, making it a cardinal economical spouse of Moscow, which is facing Western sanctions connected lipid and state implicit the Ukraine war.
The 2 countries are successful treatment implicit the gathering of a large “Power of Siberia 2” earthy state pipeline from Russia to China done Mongolia, a onshore alternate to crude imported by oversea from the Middle East.
“For Putin the narration is intelligibly much important than ever, particularly successful economical terms,” Kuhrt said.
The Iran warfare could boost Russia’s chances of the pipeline being built, she added, with China straight affected by the deficiency of petroleum crossing the Strait of Hormuz since strikes began connected February 28.
But, she said, Beijing “tends to similar diverseness of supply”.
“China would not privation to beryllium excessively babelike connected Russia for energy,” Kuhrt said.
In past week’s talks, Mr. Xi agreed to assistance Washington re-open the Strait of Hormuz, Mr. Trump told Fox News.
