Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to visit China in May for discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, marking what could be the Kremlin chief’s first foreign visit in his latest presidential term.
“Putin will visit China,” Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing one of a number of sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another of the sources said Putin’s trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May.
“Several presidential visits and several high-level contacts are being prepared at the moment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
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Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
Putin’s potential visit comes amid criticism of his re-election from Western nations, who have labeled it as unfair and undemocratic. Meanwhile, countries like China, India and North Korea extended their congratulations to the Russian president, underscoring the stark geopolitical rifts deepened by Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
China hasn’t officially backed Russia’s invasion but has provided financial assistance to shore up the Kremlin’s economy.
Any meeting between Putin and Xi would occur against a backdrop of the U.S. delineating China and Russia as its foremost global competitors and potential adversaries. The Biden administration views the current era as a pivotal clash between democratic and autocratic regimes.
Putin and Xi share a vision that sees the West as declining, especially as China contests U.S. dominance in various fields, ranging from quantum computing to military might.
Diplomats and analysts anticipate Putin’s visit to China would be his initial international stop post-re-election, with his formal presidential inauguration expected around May 7.
Putin last visited China for the Belt and Road Initiative Summit from October 17-18, 2023, one of his first major international trips since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. Xi went to Moscow for a state visit in March of last year.
Last month, China’s envoy to Russia hinted that Putin and Xi will meet “several times” this year.
“Putin’s visit to China [this year] will definitely be a success,” Zhang Hanhui told Russian state news agency Sputnik on Saturday.
In a post-election press conference on Monday, Putin emphasized the aligned global perspectives and growing bilateral relations between Russia and China, attributing the strength of their ties to his personal rapport with Xi.
Trade between China and Russia has flourished, surpassing a $200 billion target last year and reaching a record $240 billion in 2023, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., previously told Newsweek.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.