Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have prepared to hold talks in Beijing, just days after US President Donald Trump’s visit to China amid the Iran war.
The visit comes a week after Trump paid a state visit to China, marking the first time Beijing has hosted the leaders of Russia and the US in the same month outside a multilateral setting.
Putin’s delegation is "state-heavy"—comprising energy executives, security officials, and industrial planners—reflecting a logic of "strategic survival under constraint."
Focus on trade and conflicts
Topics on the agenda include bilateral relations, trade, the Israeli-US war on Iran, energy cooperation and the Ukraine conflict.
Energy cooperation is expected to deepen, while trade targets are likely to be reaffirmed or modestly raised.
Putin will be accorded a welcoming ceremony by Xi before the two leaders hold talks.
The two leaders have planned to sign a joint statement and several other agreements following the talks.
Putin will later meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss economic cooperation.
The trip coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between Russia and China reached more than $240 billion in 2023, and China now absorbs roughly 50 per cent of Russia’s crude oil exports.
