Chinese President Xi Jinping has described China-Russia relations as a force of “calm amid chaos” during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, May 20, as global tensions continue to rise following conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
As per the CNN report, the meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People, marking the start of Putin’s roughly 24-hour state visit to China.
It comes just days after Xi hosted US President Donald Trump for a high-profile summit, underscoring Beijing’s increasingly central diplomatic role between global rivals.
Outside the Great Hall, Xi and senior Chinese officials greeted Putin with full state honors, including a military band, honor guard, and ceremonial gun salute.
Children waving flags and flowers accompanied the welcome, echoing similar scenes during Trump’s recent visit.
Xi used the opening of the talks to criticize the broader international environment, saying it was marked by “intertwined turbulence and transformation” and accusing unnamed powers of “unilateral hegemonic” behavior.
In a veiled reference to the United States, Xi said such conditions required China and Russia to strengthen their “comprehensive strategic coordination,” according to Chinese state media.
The Chinese leader also addressed the ongoing war in the Middle East, saying an “early end” to hostilities would help stabilize global energy supplies and trade flows.
He stressed that “a comprehensive cessation of war brooks no delay, restarting hostilities is even less desirable, and persisting with negotiations is particularly important.”
Putin, making his 25th visit to China since taking office, described bilateral ties as having reached an “unprecedentedly high level,” calling them one of the “main stabilizing factors” in global affairs.
He also referenced his personal ties with Xi, using a Chinese idiom roughly meaning “one day apart feels like three autumns.”
A range of issues is expected to dominate the talks, including energy cooperation, industry, agriculture, transport, and high technology.
Putin also said Russia continues to position itself as a reliable energy supplier, while China remains a key consumer.
Beijing and Moscow are also marking the 25th anniversary of their 2001 Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, which resolved long-standing border disputes and laid the groundwork for expanded strategic cooperation.
For China, hosting both Trump and Putin within days highlights its ambition to position itself as a global diplomatic powerbroker, capable of engaging rival blocs while maintaining ties with both Washington and Moscow, according to CNN.
However, analysts note that Putin arrives in Beijing in a weaker position than during previous visits.
Ukraine has recently intensified long-range drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, while Russia has faced battlefield setbacks and reported territorial losses in recent months.
Despite the political symbolism of the visit, the economic balance between the two powers continues to tilt toward Beijing, which has become increasingly central to Russia’s trade and energy exports under Western sanctions.
Chinese policymakers are expected to use the meeting to press for further energy concessions, particularly as global instability in the Middle East tightens competition for oil and gas supplies.
As per the AFP report, analysts believe Putin could use the visit to seek progress on the long-delayed “Power of Siberia 2” natural gas pipeline linking Russia to China via Mongolia, a land-based alternative to seaborne energy imports from the Middle East.
Putin’s visit is expected to be less lavish than Trump’s, reflecting what Patricia Kim of the Brookings Institution in Washington described as the idea that “the Xi-Putin relationship does not require that kind of performative reassurance.”
China-Russia relations have deepened since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing annually as Russia has been increasingly isolated by Western powers.
Beijing has repeatedly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia’s invasion, presenting itself as a neutral actor.
However, with Russia increasingly dependent on Chinese purchases to sustain its war economy, “Putin does not want to lose that support,” Asia Society analyst Lyle Morris told AFP.
At the same time, China and Russia appear to have diverging priorities over the conflict between Iran and Israel and wider instability in the Middle East, the agency said.
Moscow has sought to benefit from the resulting energy crunch and rising oil prices triggered by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting Xi in April that Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages amid tightening global supplies. China, however, has called for a swift end to the conflict.
Notably, US President Donald Trump denied reports that Xi told him Putin regrets invading Ukraine during Trump’s recent visit to China.
“No. He never said that,” Trump told reporters outside the White House, according to footage shared by Clash Report.
Beijing also rejected the claim. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called it “completely false” in response to a Bloomberg question, saying, “We have released information on the China-US summit. What you just cited is completely false.”
The comments follow a Financial Times report citing sources that Xi told Trump Putin might eventually “regret” the invasion during talks on Ukraine and global security.