Putin-Xi Beijing meeting highlights friendship, has more than 40 bilateral cooperation agreements and more: 10 key updates | Today’s news
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the strengthening of China-Russia strategic partnership during a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday, just days after United States President Donald Trump visited China.
Meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping: Key news
- Si and Vladimir Putin also emphasized their strong personal relationship. “My dear friend,” Putin said as he greeted Xi Jinping. “We are indeed glad to see you. We are in constant contact, both personally and through our advisors in the government.” At the start of their meeting, Xi addressed Putin as “my longtime friend” and said it was important to build on the “foundations of mutual trust” between the two nations.
The leaders have often spoken warmly of each other, with Xi previously calling Putin his “best and most intimate friend”.
2. The two leaders witnessed the signing of more than 40 agreements covering sectors such as trade, technology and media cooperation, according to the AP. They highlighted expanding economic ties, particularly in oil and gas, and reaffirmed their shared positions on key international issues.
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In his speech after the signing ceremony, Xi Jinping said that bilateral relations had reached the “highest level in history”. The two countries also agreed to renew the friendship treaty originally signed in 2001. Putin told those present that “the driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese cooperation in the energy sector.” “Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources, while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources,” Putin added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool(REUTERS)
3. According to Chinese state media, Xi Jinping stressed the need for a “complete cessation of hostilities” in the Middle East, noting that “an early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to the stability of energy supplies, the smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and the international trade order.”
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4. China emerged as Russia’s largest trading partner after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Although Beijing says it has remained neutral in the conflict, it continues to maintain strong trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions imposed by the United States and European nations.
China is also the largest buyer of Russian oil and gas, with Moscow expecting the conflict in Iran to further increase demand. However, there has been no visible breakthrough on the proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which Russia is pushing to expand gas exports to China.
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5. A Russian presidential adviser earlier said that Russia’s oil exports to China increased by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the largest exporters of natural gas to China.
Bilateral trade between the two countries will reach around $228 billion in 2025, according to Xinhua.
6. Xi mentioned that trade in areas such as energy serve as “stabilizing pillars” of the relationship, and pledged to accelerate cooperation in other areas such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy and technological innovation.
7. Putin also called China-Russia cooperation in foreign policy “one of the key stabilizing factors on the international scene.”
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“In the current tense situation on the international scene, our close cooperation is particularly desirable,” he said.
8. Xi reiterated his criticism of “unilateralism and hegemonism” in remarks widely seen as an indirect reference to the United States’ actions. He warned that “the world faces the danger of returning to the law of the jungle”.
9. Putin invited Xi Jinping to visit Russia in 2027 and said he would travel to southern China in November to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
10. The trip comes just days after Trump’s own visit to Beijing – in a sequence that experts say is intended to cement Beijing’s image as an influential superpower. “The message is clear that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with any power it wants, and the US is just one of them,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.
In February 2022, just weeks before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia declared a “no-holds-barred” partnership during Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing.
Although Beijing claims to be neutral in the conflict, it continues to support Moscow through regular high-level exchanges, expanding trade ties and joint military exercises. China has also rejected Western calls to halt supplies of advanced technology components used by Russia’s defense industry.
