Russia’s Putin to visit China in May: Sources
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have often touted their close personal friendship.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
BEIJING/MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in what could be the Kremlin chief’s first overseas trip of his new presidential term,
Western governments on March 18 condemned Mr Putin’s re-election as unfair and undemocratic.
But China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran leader on extending his rule
“Putin will visit China,” one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
The details were independently confirmed by four other sources, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. One of the sources said Mr Putin’s trip to China would probably take place in the second half of May. Two of the sources said the visit would come before Mr Xi’s planned trip to Europe.
The Kremlin, when asked about the Reuters report, said information on Mr 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.”
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership
The United States casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat, while US President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies.
Mr Putin and Mr Xi share a broad world view, which sees the West as decadent and in decline, just as China challenges US supremacy in everything from quantum computing and synthetic biology to espionage and hard military power.
China has strengthened its trade and military ties with Russia in recent years as the United States and its allies imposed sanctions against both countries, particularly Moscow, for the invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign diplomats and observers said they expected Mr Putin to make China his first stop after being re-elected. Mr Putin’s formal presidential inauguration is due to take place around May 7.
Mr Putin told reporters on March 17 that Russia and China shared a similar global outlook, enjoyed resilient relations in part due to his good personal relations with Mr Xi, and that Moscow and Beijing would develop ties further in the coming years.
Mr Xi visited Russia in his first post-pandemic overseas trip
The two leaders have often touted their close personal friendship and have met more than 40 times, most recently in October 2023,
China-Russia trade hit US$218.2 billion (S$292 billion) during the January to November period, according to Chinese Customs data, exceeding a goal to increase bilateral trade to more than US$200 billion by 2024 that was set by the two countries.
Mr Xi, in a call with Mr Putin in February, said both sides should resolutely oppose interference in domestic affairs by external forces, indicating the US.
Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said bilateral ties were “at their best in history” when meeting his Russian counterpart in Moscow in February, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry read-out.
China is considering taking part in a peace conference aimed at ending the war in Ukraine to be hosted by neutral Switzerland in the coming months, its ambassador to Bern told local media on March 18.
Beijing launched a 12-point Ukraine peace plan
China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui met officials in five European capitals, including Moscow and Kyiv, earlier in March. REUTERS
