Summary of this article
Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin a two-day visit to China on Tuesday, shortly after US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping.
Putin’s visit comes amid growing geopolitical tensions over the West Asia conflict and the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit China on Tuesday, mere days after the United States President Donald Trump concluded his high-profile trip to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi and Putin will discuss bilateral relations, cooperation across multiple sectors, and key international and regional issues during the Russian leader’s two-day visit.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said this would mark Putin’s 25th visit to China, underscoring the close strategic ties and strong personal rapport between the two leaders.
"The two sides will take this visit as an opportunity to continue to promote the development of China-Russia relations to a higher level, which will inject greater stability and positive energy into the world," Guo said during a media briefing in Beijing on Monday.
Since Xi came to power in 2012, the two leaders have met dozens of times, frequently referring to one another as “dear friend” while emphasising mutual trust and cooperation.
Over the years, Beijing and Moscow have significantly deepened cooperation in areas including trade, energy, defence, and efforts aimed at countering Western influence on the global stage.
Many analysts consider the Xi-Putin partnership to be among the most consequential geopolitical relationships in contemporary international politics.
Putin’s visit comes shortly after Trump’s three-day visit to China from May 14 to 16, during which the US President held closed-door meetings with Xi on a range of bilateral and global issues.
A major focus of Trump’s Beijing visit was the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has triggered a severe global energy crisis.
The conflict erupted on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks.
Iran remains a key strategic partner for both Russia and China. Moscow and Beijing are major suppliers of military equipment to Tehran, while China imports nearly 90 per cent of Iranian oil despite existing US sanctions.
A White House fact sheet released on Sunday following Trump’s China visit stated that both Washington and Beijing agreed that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons and called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement also said the two sides agreed that no country or organisation should be allowed to impose tolls on ships using the strategic waterway — an apparent reference to Iran’s reported plans to charge vessels passing through the Strait.
Responding to questions on the White House statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that during Trump’s visit, both leaders agreed on a new framework for “a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability” as the "new positioning" of bilateral ties.
The spokesperson added that the two sides had also outlined plans for future high-level engagements and dialogue mechanisms covering diplomacy, trade, economic cooperation, and other major areas, while also exchanging views on international and regional matters of shared concern.
