Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged 'congratulatory letters' on Sunday ahead of Putin's visit to Beijing this week, just four days after Donald Trump left China following a high-stakes summit. Xi stated that bilateral cooperation between Russia and China had 'continuously deepened and solidified', with this year marking the 30th anniversary of the two countries' strategic partnership, according to Chinese state media.
Putin will arrive in China on Tuesday evening and meet Xi on Wednesday morning, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Monday. Ushakov said the two leaders would discuss all areas of bilateral relations, including the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. An article in the state media tabloid the Global Times on Monday said the visits of the US and Russian presidents showed Beijing was 'fast emerging as the focal point of global diplomacy'.
China's deepened relationship with Russia has been a cause for concern in the west, particularly since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. China's economic and diplomatic support for Russia since then has helped to sustain the conflict, according to western diplomats and analysts. The two leaders have met on more than 40 occasions, far outstripping Xi's encounters with western leaders.
China and Russia's bilateral trade has soared to record levels since 2022, with China buying more than one-quarter of Russia's exports. Beijing has purchased more than $367bn of Russian fossil fuels since the start of the war, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The purchases have supported China's energy security, which has become especially important since the crisis in the Middle East stopped the shipping of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Neither the war in Ukraine nor the Sino-Russian relationship appeared to feature heavily in Trump's talks with Xi last week. Instead, the US-China talks focused on trade, Taiwan and the war in the Middle East. Xi pressed Trump on Taiwan, warning him of the potential for conflict if the issue was not handled properly. Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said in a newsletter that 'Taiwan may be the subtext of the Xi-Putin meeting', noting that Beijing may look to sign more fossil fuel deals with Moscow to ensure energy supplies in the event of a future conflict.
