The Kremlin announced on May 16 that Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official state visit to China on May 19-20. According to the statement, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss 'further strengthening the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation' between Moscow and Beijing. Putin will also hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on economic and trade cooperation.
The TASS news agency reported that the visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between Russia and China, a landmark document signed in 2001.
News of Putin's visit came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump left China, concluding the first state visit by a U.S. president to Beijing in nearly a decade. Although Trump and President Xi announced several major trade deals, the two sides appeared to make little progress on key issues related to Taiwan or the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran.
The two leaders also touched on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where China maintains an official neutral stance and Xi has acted as a mediator. However, the 'no-limits' alliance between Xi and Putin—announced just before Russia launched its full-scale military campaign in Ukraine in 2022—has undermined this position. China has also denied reports from Reuters and other outlets that Chinese companies have helped sustain Russian drone production, in part by shipping engines mislabeled as 'industrial refrigeration equipment' to drone assembly plants.
On the Ukraine issue, Trump told reporters: 'We discussed it—and it is something we want to see resolved.'
China-Russia ties have deepened in recent months as Washington-Beijing relations have soured. Though not formal military allies, the two countries maintain extremely close political and economic relations. China has increased its purchases of Russian oil and goods since the West severed ties with Moscow.
During a four-day visit to China last August, Putin criticized 'discriminatory' Western sanctions and praised Beijing. He said China is now Russia's largest trading partner, with transactions almost entirely conducted in Russian rubles and Chinese yuan.
Last month, President Xi Jinping called for 'close and stronger strategic coordination' between Beijing and Moscow during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In May last year, Xi visited Russia and pledged to stand with Moscow against 'unilateralism and hegemonic bullying.'
