Mr. Putin is about to visit China

“We will soon announce specific information. The visit is in preparation. It can be said that the preparations are basically completed, only the final finishing touches remain. This event will take place in the very near future,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on May 15.

Newspaper SCMP of Hong Kong on the same day, citing anonymous sources, saying Russian President Putin will visit China on May 20, adding that this is a regular contact activity between Moscow and Beijing.

If accurate, this would be the first time China has hosted the leaders of both major powers in the same month, reflecting Beijing’s efforts to manage relations with both sides and position itself as a central power amid an increasingly divided world order.

“The agenda has been clearly defined. The top priority is bilateral relations – a special strategic partnership, along with the scale of extensive economic and trade cooperation, which is always maintained at over 200 billion USD,” Mr. Peskov said about President Putin’s upcoming visit. “And of course, international issues will also be one of the key topics.”

The spokesman said the visit was “a good opportunity for Russia and China to exchange views on recent contacts between China and the US”.

“When the US and China conduct direct dialogue at the highest level, such contacts are naturally given special attention and analysis by all countries, including Russia,” Mr. Peskov told the press.

China is currently Russia’s most important ally. Chinese-made electronic components play an important role in the Russian defense industry. As the largest oil buyer, China provides a key source of revenue for Russia in a context where its economy is under pressure due to the conflict in Ukraine.

President Trump leaves China today, concluding a three-day visit. While US leaders seek immediate trade wins, such as a deal to sell Boeing aircraft, President Xi has talked about reestablishing a long-term relationship and a pact to maintain stable trade relations with Washington, highlighting the two sides’ different priorities.

Mr. Xi introduced the term “constructive strategic stability” to describe the relationship with the US, a marked change from the “strategic competition” framing used by former US president Joe Biden that Beijing was not satisfied with.

Analysts say the establishment of this new relationship is a success for China, because this is the first time Beijing has given a definition for the relationship between the two countries, meaning that any major rift or bad faith behavior will damage the spirit of cooperation between the two sides.