BEIJING - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing late on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart and “long-time good friend” Xi Jinping, intending to show their ties are unshakeable days after a visit by Donald Trump.
The confirmation of Putin’s trip came just hours after Trump wrapped up his visit on Friday, the first to China by a US president in nearly a decade and one aimed at stabilising their turbulent relations
Putin arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport around 11:15 p.m. (1515 GMT) on Tuesday, where he was greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a military band.
It was a near-mirror image of Trump’s arrival days earlier, with both leaders stepping out of their planes onto a red carpet as Chinese youths chanted “welcome, welcome” – this time, waving Russian flags instead of American.
Putin and Xi are set to discuss how to strengthen Russia and China’s strategic partnership and “exchange views on key international and regional issues”, according to a Kremlin statement.
Their ties have deepened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since as his country is cut off diplomatically on the world stage.
However, their relationship is far from equal, with Moscow heavily dependent economically on Beijing, the main buyer of sanctioned Russian oil.
Among topics Xi and Putin could discuss is the construction of the major “Power of Siberia 2” natural gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia – a land alternative to crude imported by sea from the Middle East – which Moscow is keen to get underway.
Setting a warm tone for the visit, Xi and Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday to mark 30 years of their countries’ strategic partnership.