BREAKING: Xi Jinping receives Vladimir Putin to reaffirm the strength of Sino-Russian relations
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Governments, analysts, and media outlets are continuing to follow this situation closely as additional details become available.
Chinese President Xi Jinping receives Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, May 20 for a summit affirming the strength of relations between the two powers, less than a week after the détente enterprise led in Beijing by their American counterpart Donald Trump. Xi Jinping greeted Vladimir Putin with a handshake at the foot of the steps of the People’s Palace in central Beijing, days after doing the same with Donald Trump. Then the leaders of the two Asian giants, who call themselves “old friends” and “dear friends” and have met almost 40 times during more than 13 years of concurrent exercise of power, will have a series of talks. They will discuss Donald Trump’s visit, among various hot topics of common interest such as the war in the Middle East, energy supplies, challenges to the international order, experts anticipate. Russia’s war in Ukraine should also be addressed, even if analysts consider it unlikely that Xi Jinping will put pressure on Vladimir Putin. Also readQuest for immortality: when Putin reveals his fixed ideas to Xi Jinping The large gas pipeline project “Siberian Force 2” which would connect the largest Russian natural gas reserves in northern Siberia and China could also be mentioned. It is crucial for Russia, which sees it as an outlet for its hydrocarbons abandoned by Europe following the invasion of Ukraine. But its realization is slow. Trump then Putin, a fortuitous sequence? Vladimir Putin will seek assurance from Xi Jinping that the relaxation attempted with the United States during Donald Trump’s visit will not take place at the expense of Russia, analysts conjecture. Both parties present the summit as an illustration of old relationships that have stood the test of turbulence. The occasion is the 30th anniversary of a “strategic coordination partnership”. The Kremlin describes the sequence of visits by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as fortuitous. The visit of Vladimir Putin, who is on his 25th visit to China, was planned before Donald Trump postponed his initially scheduled for the end of March. “Chinese-Russian relations constitute one of the most stable, mature and strategically valuable major power relations in the world today,” says Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. Relations have reached “a truly unprecedented level”, said Vladimir Putin in a video addressed to the “Chinese people”. “Common interests” for China and Russia Beyond Donald Trump’s visit, which did not give rise to any major announcements, China and the United States, on the contrary, remain engaged in an intense strategic, commercial and technological rivalry. CGTN highlights the extent of “common interests” between China and Russia. Both are opposed to a world order dominated by the United States and the West. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are expected to sign a declaration in favor of a multipolar world. China and Russia are also long-standing partners of Iran and North Korea. Sino-Russian ties strengthened after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russian oil exports to China increased by around 30%, data from European analytical centers show. The relationship is unbalanced. Russian imports accounted for only about 5% of China’s imports in 2025, according to China Customs. Conversely, China accounted for more than a third of Russia’s imports and more than a quarter of its exports in 2025, according to the Russian agency Tass. China was the largest buyer of Russian crude oil and coal and the second largest buyer of pipeline gas at the end of 2025, according to the CREA Energy Research Center. China is directly impacted by the Iranian and American blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large part of its supplies pass. “Strengthening ties in energy could occupy an important place during the meeting, with Beijing wanting to obtain more Russian energy,” said Joseph Webster, researcher at the Atlantic Council. But China, keen to diversify, will be careful not to fall into dependence on Russia, analysts warn. Views on the US-Israeli war against Iran could diverge, with Russia profiting from the conflict through an easing of sanctions, they anticipate. With AFP
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