Vladimir Putin is set to visit China in May for talks with Xi Jinping, in what could be the Russian President’s first overseas trip of his new term, according to media reports. This comes days after Putin secured a new six-year term as Western governments condemned his re-election as unfair and undemocratic.
“Putin will visit China,” one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told news agency Reuters. Putin’s trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May. Two of the sources said the Putin visit would come before Xi’s planned trip to Europe, the report said.
When asked about the Russian president’s China trip, the Kremlin said information on Putin’s visits would be released closer to the date. “Several presidential visits and several high-level contacts are being prepared at the moment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We will inform you as we get closer.”
Days before the start of the Ukraine conflict, China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing. The United States casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat while U.S. President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies.
In recent years, China has strengthened its trade and military ties with Russia as the United States and its allies imposed sanctions against both countries, particularly Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. Foreign policy analysts said they expected Putin to make China his first stop after being re-elected. His formal presidential inauguration is due to take place around May 7. Putin told reporters on Sunday that Russia and China shared a similar global outlook and enjoyed resilient relations in part due to his good personal relations with Xi, and that Moscow and Beijing would develop ties further in coming years.
Xi visited Russia in his first post-pandemic overseas trip in March last year, shortly after commencing his precedent-breaking third term as Chinese president. The two leaders have often touted their close personal friendship and have met over 40 times, most recently in October when Putin was the guest of honour at China’s Belt and Road summit in Beijing. China-Russia trade hit $218.2 billion during January-November, exceeding a goal to increase bilateral trade to over $200 billion by 2024 that was set by the two countries.
(With agency inputs)
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