Putin visits China to reaffirm Russia ties as Xi also seeks stable US
relations after Trump summit
[May 19, 2026]
By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO
BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to
meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after U.S.
President Donald Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing.
Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit
likely to be closely watched as Beijing seeks to maintain stable
relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with
Russia.
The Kremlin has said Putin and Xi plan to discuss economic cooperation
between the two countries, but also “key international and regional
issues.” The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the
Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.
Putin said in a video address released before his visit that bilateral
ties are at “a truly unprecedented level” and the relationship plays an
important role globally, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported
Tuesday.
There is “no connection” between Trump’s visit to China and Putin’s,
presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Monday, noting the trip by
the Russian leader was agreed in advance, several days after Putin and
Xi spoke via videoconference on Feb. 4.
“The Trump visit was about stabilizing the world’s most important
bilateral relationship; the Putin visit is about reassuring a
long-standing strategic partner,” said Wang Zichen, deputy
secretary-general for the Beijing-based think tank Center for China &
Globalization. “For China, these two tracks are not mutually exclusive.”
Putin and Xi call each other ‘friend’
Putin last visited China in September 2025 to attend the annual summit
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, watch a military
parade honoring the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and hold
talks with Xi.
At the time, Xi called his counterpart an “old friend ” while Putin
addressed Xi as “dear friend.” In China, “old friend” is a very rare
diplomatic term used by the government and party to describe favored
foreign people.
In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Beijing and met
Xi, who described the bilateral relationship as “precious” in the
current international context. Xi said China and Russia needed to use a
stronger strategic collaboration to defend their legitimate, shared
interests and safeguard the unity of Global South countries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said over the weekend that Putin’s trip
also would allow Russia to receive direct updates and exchange views
with China concerning its talks with the U.S.
During Trump's visit, Xi described the bilateral relationship between
the U.S. and China as the world's most important and said they should
see each other as partners rather than rivals. By the end of the two-day
summit, the countries said they would work on a new framework to manage
“a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.”
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi
Jinping greet each other in Tianjin, China, on Aug. 31, 2025.
(Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Wang of the center for China & Globalization observed, “Beijing
wants stable relations with the West, continued strategic trust with
Moscow, and enough diplomatic room to present itself as an unbiased
major power capable of talking to all sides.”
China is Russia's primary trade partner
For some, Putin’s visit is meant to reinforce the partnership
between Russia and China that has strengthened in recent years, in
particular after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
China has said it is neutral in the Ukraine conflict while
maintaining Russian trade ties despite economic and financial
sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.
China has become Russia's top trading partner. Beijing is now the
top customer for Russian oil and gas supplies and Moscow expects the
war in Iran to increase the demand. China also has ignored demands
from the West to stop providing high-tech components for Russia’s
weapons industries.
Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, said Russia’s oil exports to
China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is
one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to China.
During “the crisis in the Middle East,” Russia remains a reliable
energy supplier and China is a “responsible consumer,” Ushakov said.
Putin noted earlier this month that Moscow and Beijing have reached
“a very substantial step forward in our cooperation in the oil and
gas sector.”
“Practically all the key issues have been agreed upon,” the Russian
leader said. “If we succeed in finalizing these details and bringing
them to a conclusion during this visit, I will be extremely
pleased.”
Putin also hailed their bilateral relationship as a crucial,
balancing force in international relations.
“Interaction between such nations as China and Russia undoubtedly
serves as a factor of deterrence and stability,” he said.
Moscow welcomes China’s dialogue with the U.S. as another
stabilizing element for the global economy, Putin added.
“We stand only to benefit from this, from the stability and
constructive engagement between the U.S. and China,” he said.
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