Vladimir Putin visits China to reinforce Moscow-Beijing ties as Xi Jinping also pursues stable US relations after Trump summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China this week for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, less than a week after US President Donald Trump concluded his own visit to Beijing.

Putin will be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday for a closely watched visit that comes as Beijing attempts to balance stable ties with the United States while maintaining its deep strategic partnership with Moscow.

According to the Kremlin, Putin and Xi are expected to discuss economic cooperation as well as “key international and regional issues.” The trip also marks the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.

“The Trump visit was about stabilizing the world’s most important bilateral relationship; the Putin visit is about reassuring a long-standing strategic partner,” said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general at the Beijing-based Center for China & Globalization. “For China, these two tracks are not mutually exclusive.”

Putin and Xi renew ‘friendship’

Putin last visited China in September 2025 for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, where he attended a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and held talks with Xi.

During that visit, Xi referred to Putin as an “old friend,” while the Russian president called Xi his “dear friend.”

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also traveled to Beijing and met Xi, who described China-Russia ties as “precious” under the current global situation. Xi said both countries should strengthen strategic coordination to protect their shared interests and uphold unity among Global South nations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s latest visit would also allow Moscow and Beijing to exchange views on Russia’s talks with the US.

During Trump’s recent trip, Xi described US-China ties as the world’s most important bilateral relationship and said the two nations should view each other as partners rather than rivals. Following the summit, Washington and Beijing said they would work toward a framework for “a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability.”

Wang Zichen said Beijing is seeking “stable relations with the West, continued strategic trust with Moscow, and enough diplomatic room to present itself as an unbiased major power capable of talking to all sides.”

China remains Russia’s key economic partner

Putin’s visit is also expected to reinforce the increasingly close partnership between Russia and China, especially after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

While China has maintained that it is neutral in the Ukraine conflict, it has continued strong trade ties with Russia despite sweeping sanctions imposed by the US and Europe.

China is now Russia’s largest trading partner and the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas. Moscow also expects the ongoing conflict involving Iran to further boost demand for Russian energy supplies. Beijing has additionally resisted Western pressure to halt exports of high-tech components used by Russia’s defense sector.

Earlier this month, Putin said Moscow and Beijing had made “a very substantial step forward” in energy cooperation.

“Practically all the key issues have been agreed upon,” Putin said. “If we succeed in finalizing these details and bringing them to a conclusion during this visit, I will be extremely pleased.”

The Russian president also described China-Russia ties as an important stabilizing force in global affairs.

“Interaction between such nations as China and Russia undoubtedly serves as a factor of deterrence and stability,” Putin said.

He added that Moscow welcomes dialogue between China and the US, saying greater stability and constructive engagement between the world’s two largest economies would benefit the global economy.