Vladimir Putin Meets Xi Jinping in Beijing

Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said both leaders are set for a packed agenda. After a welcoming ceremony on Wednesday morning (20/05), Putin and Xi will hold talks at the Great Hall of the People before delivering a statement to the media. Putin is also scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss economic cooperation. In the evening, Xi will host a state banquet to mark 25 years of bilateral friendship. The leaders will also visit a photo exhibition commemorating 70 years of cooperation between Russia’s state news agency TASS and China’s Xinhua. The visit will close with a tea gathering between Putin and Xi. Ushakov said the talks will cover issues including the Iran conflict, the war in Ukraine, and other major international matters.

Energy talks are expected to be a key topic. The energy relationship between the two countries has grown, with China increasing its purchases of oil and gas from Russia since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022. Moscow and Beijing declared a ‘limitless’ partnership just days before the war began. Russia’s Gazprom supplies natural gas to China via a 3,000-km pipeline known as Power of Siberia, under a 30-year deal worth US$400 billion (roughly Rp7,083 trillion) that started in 2019. China is also a major customer for Russian oil deliveries, via sea routes and pipelines. Exports remain high despite Western sanctions on Russia.

According to the General Administration of Customs of China, Chinese imports of oil from Russia reached 100.72 million metric tonnes in 2025, accounting for about 20% of total Chinese oil imports. Ushakov said Russian oil exports to China rose 35% in the first quarter of 2026 to 31 million tonnes.

What is Power of Siberia 2?

The Power of Siberia 2 project is a 2,600-km pipeline planned to carry 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year to China via Mongolia from Arctic gas fields in Yamal, Russia. The project would complement Power of Siberia 1, which began operation last year and transports 38 bcm of gas from Russia to China. Power of Siberia 2 had been held up by differences over pricing. In a meeting between Xi and Putin last September, Putin said the gas price for the project would use a market-based formula similar to the Russia-to-Europe gas deliveries. The two countries also agreed to raise annual gas volumes through the route. The project has grown in importance for Russia after Western sanctions cut Moscow’s access to energy customers in Europe. China, however, has been reluctant to publicly comment on the project.

Xi and Putin are also set to sign a declaration on building a ‘multipolar’ world order, along with several other documents. Ushakov said about 40 documents would be signed, including bilateral agreements in industry, trade, transport, and construction. China has repeatedly urged Western nations to abandon a Cold War mindset and accept China’s role in an increasingly multipolar world.

Merkel’s ally Merz hopes Xi will press Putin to end the war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed the hope that Xi would use his influence to persuade Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine, which he said Moscow is unlikely to win. He noted the many Russian soldiers killed in the conflict.

Russia has become more dependent on its economic ties with China as it has become isolated from Western countries due to the war in Ukraine. China has not condemned the invasion and continues to advocate a resolution through negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Beijing and Moscow describe the visit as evidence of continued commitment to bilateral partnership under any circumstances. In a speech on Tuesday (19/05), Putin stated that the Russia-China relationship has reached a ‘level of understanding and trust never seen before’ and that both nations are ready to support each other on issues of core interest, including sovereignty and national unity. He added that the close and strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing plays a stabilising role in international relations, and that they are not forming an alliance to confront anyone, but to work for peace and prosperity for all.

For Xi, the visit by Putin, just under a week after Trump’s arrival, also demonstrates China’s stable position amid a world shaken by tensions in war, trade, and energy crises. For Putin, the trip aims to secure energy deals amid Western sanctions.