Xi and Putin Meet in Beijing Days After Trump’s High-Profile Visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Wednesday, The Guardian reported, just days after Xi hosted US President Donald Trump in the same venue.
The ceremony at the Great Hall of the People featured military bands, flag-waving children, and full state honours. The optics were deliberate and closely watched.
A Warning About World Order
In his opening remarks, Xi cautioned that the global order risks descending into a “law of the jungle” if major powers abandon multilateral norms. He urged both nations to support each other’s development and revitalisation.
Putin, in turn, described ties between Moscow and Beijing as reaching an unprecedented level of closeness. He also positioned Russia as a “reliable energy supplier” amid ongoing instability in the Middle East, and extended an invitation for Xi to visit Russia in 2026.
Xi added that further escalation in the Middle East was “inadvisable.” He called a “comprehensive ceasefire” the most urgent priority in the region.
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Background: A Carefully Managed Relationship
The Xi-Putin relationship has warmed steadily over recent years. The two leaders have publicly called each other “dear” and “old” friends. Their last Beijing summit, in May 2024, was notably relaxed. Both men shed their ties and held informal talks over tea in a former imperial garden.
That bond contrasts sharply with the friction defining Washington’s relationship with Beijing. The deliberate parallels between Trump’s reception last week and Putin’s arrival Wednesday were not lost on analysts. The same hall, the same pageantry, but with a very different geopolitical undertone.
Trade and Boeing in Focus
While leaders exchanged diplomatic warmth, concrete economic signals emerged on the sidelines. China’s commerce ministry confirmed Beijing will purchase 200 Boeing jets. It also confirmed plans to extend the trade framework agreed with the US in Kuala Lumpur.
The announcement was the first official Chinese acknowledgment of the Boeing deal. Trump had alluded to it during his visit but Beijing had not formally confirmed it until Wednesday.
For Putin, trade and investment are pressing. Russia’s sanctions-battered economy continues to strain under the cost of the Ukraine war. Reciprocal commercial ties with China remain a critical economic lifeline.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi received Putin on arrival Tuesday. He is expected to hold separate talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the visit.
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