Russian President Visits China: Keeping Tradition, Broad Future

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China shortly after his re-election reflects the growing ties between the two powers.


Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, February 2022. (Source: AFP/Sputnik) On May 16-17, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an official state visit to China. China's Foreign Ministry said Putin would hold talks with President Xi Jinping, discussing "bilateral cooperation in many fields..."


According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two sides will "give priority to substantive bilateral cooperation, in-depth exchanges on international and regional issues of mutual interest." Putin and Xi will also sign a joint statement and related document, attending the gala celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening ceremony of the 2024-2025 Russia-China Year of Culture in Harbin.

Putin's visit to China comes as the world continues to witness unpredictable changes. The situation in Ukraine remains tense. The Israeli-Hamas conflict intensified after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began attacking Rafah, a key location for relief to Palestinians. On the other side of the Atlantic, the US will enter the presidential election while the Taiwan Strait and Red Sea issues have not cooled down and the South China Sea continues to be complicated.

In this context, Putin will have his 43rd meeting with Xi. This is also the 19th time the Russian president has visited China, the last time was only 6 months ago. More importantly, it was Putin's first foreign visit since his re-election a week ago. Notably, Xi Jinping has done similarly. More than a year ago, after his re-election as president, Xi chose Moscow as his destination on his first foreign trip

Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in China, said it had become a tradition for leaders of the two countries to visit each other during their first trip to the new term. The same "firsts" Russia and China have for each other show signs of an increasingly close relationship.

In this context, President Putin's visit to China this time, meeting with President Xi Jinping is an opportunity for the two sides to maintain and promote "unlimited" cooperation in all fields. In particular, the economy will be the top priority. China is Russia's largest trading partner, followed by India. In 2023, bilateral turnover will reach $240.1 billion, up 26.3% from the previous year and exceeding the target of $200 billion ahead of schedule.

In an interview ahead of the visit, the Russian president stressed that the remarkable development in trade relations "reflects resilience in the face of external challenges and crises." The two sides are systematically developing strategic cooperation in the energy sector. Russian agricultural products such as wheat, flour, seed oil, meat and fish are entering the Chinese market, investment in production is increasing rapidly, and infrastructure is growing.

Russia and China have also promoted cooperation in high technology, space, artificial intelligence and renewable energy. For example, semiconductor exports from China to Russia increased from 157 million USD (2021) to 230 million USD (2023); exports of semiconductor fabrication machinery increased from 3.5 million USD (2021) to 180 million USD (2023).

According to Bloomberg (USA), within the framework of the visit, the two leaders may discuss a new agreement on energy supply to China, paving the way for more effective economic cooperation mechanisms in the face of pressure from the West. On that basis, Putin affirmed that the two sides are "promoting shared prosperity through fair, mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and cultural spheres."

But not so that the two sides will ignore the current hot regional and international issues. The conflict in Ukraine will certainly be mentioned by both sides. Speaking on the eve of the visit, the Russian president gave a positive assessment of "China's approach to resolving the crisis in Ukraine."

Relations with the United States could also be exchanged by the two leaders during the visit. Although bilateral relations have shown signs of warming, the US has maintained pressure on China, evident in China's policy of imposing 100% tariffs on electric vehicles. The US also added 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong to the sanctions list for "facilitating Russia's access to necessary technology and equipment from abroad."

In this context, the talks are an opportunity for the leaders of Russia and China to exchange and find ways to overcome a series of challenges created by the US and the West. The two sides could also discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Taiwan Strait issue, the Red Sea, etc.

The fact that the leaders of Russia and China can hold frank talks on economic cooperation, along with many current hot regional and international issues around the globe, will maintain, contributing to the expansion of a comprehensive strategic partnership, "without limits" in the face of the turn of the times.