Why Xi met Putin days after hosting Trump

Just four days after hosting US President Donald Trump in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting another global heavyweight, Russian President Vladimir Putin. What urgency drove the Xi-Putin meeting so soon after Trump's visit? What message is China trying to send to the world?

Just four days after rolling out the red carpet for US President Donald Trump in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting another global heavyweight, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Xi's Russian counterpart landed in Beijing on Tuesday. Putin met Xi Jinping and signed more than 20 agreements on trade and technology, as well as a declaration on a "multipolar world order". Putin hailed the "strong and positive" momentum in cooperation between Russia and China. Xi lauded the "unyielding relationship" between the two countries days after he said "the US and China should be partners, not rivals."

Beijing's back-to-back high-level hostings of the leaders of the world's two biggest geopolitical rivals signals China's centrality in global power politics. Just days after hosting US President Donald Trump with elaborate state optics, why did Xi Jinping welcome Putin? The sequencing of the two meetings raises larger questions.

What urgency drove the Xi-Putin meeting so soon after Trump's visit? What message is China trying to send to the world? Beyond trade, energy and diplomacy, the optics project Beijing as a global power capable of engaging both Washington and Moscow simultaneously amid the fragmented geopolitical landscape.

This is Putin's 25th visit to China, and coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia. So, the meet symbolically underlines how far the Moscow-Beijing partnership has come over the past two decades.

Ahead of Putin's China visit, an article published in the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times on May 18 described the consecutive visits of Trump and Putin as evidence that Beijing was "fast emerging as the focal point of global diplomacy". The Chinese daily also noted that it is "extremely rare in the post-Cold War era" for one country to host the leaders of both the United States and Russia within the span of a week.

This article by the Chinese newspaper suggests that Putin's visit is a matter of perception for the People's Republic of China. Several analysts believe that hosting two of the most powerful leaders within a week is a depiction of China's growing confidence in its place and standing in the world.

WHY XI JINPING IS MEETING PUTIN SO SOON AFTER TRUMP

While Trump's visit to China largely focused on trade tensions, Taiwan, and the Iran war, the main points of talks during Putin's trip were deepening of comprehensive strategic partnership, boosting trade and energy cooperation, advancing high-tech and economic projects, opposing unilateralism and promoting multipolar world order, and strengthening coordination on global issues.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, prior to Purin's visit, said Moscow viewed the timing of the visit as "a good opportunity to share opinions on the contacts that the Chinese had with the Americans," according to The New York Times.

Speaking after Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, Putin also indicated that Moscow hopes the US-China engagement does not escalate into "illegitimate sanctions or escalating economic tensions". This shows that Russia was closely monitoring Beijing's evolving relationship with Washington during Trump's visit.

The timing of the meeting also reflects that China is trying to maintain a balance on both sides. Beijing is maintaining diplomatic engagement with the United States while simultaneously deepening strategic ties with Russia amid tensions between Moscow and the West.

THE OPTICS OF XI HOSTING TRUMP AND PUTIN, BACK-TO-BACK

For Beijing, hosting Trump and Putin back-to-back is also a matter of symbolism.

Xi hosted Trump last week with elaborate state banquets, gold tableware, and cultural showcases. The visit spectacle was clearly designed to signal China's status as a global power capable of engaging Washington on equal footing.

On the other hand, Putin's visit to Beijing looks to be more restrained and strategic in tone, which many could interpret as a reflection of the mature and institutional nature of China-Russia ties.

Still, the sequencing itself sends a powerful message.

Ian Storey, Principal Fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, suggested that the Xi-Putin summit is likely meant to demonstrate that the China-Russia strategic partnership "remains the cornerstone of both countries' foreign policies" and that any American effort "to drive a wedge between them is destined to fail", according to a report in news agency Reuters.

"Hosting two of the most powerful leaders in the world in a matter of days shows China's growing confidence in its place and standing in the world," William Yang, Senior Analyst at International Crisis Group, told The Guardian.

Yang also added that Xi likely wants to remind Trump that Beijing has "other solid and robust relationships that it can count on, so the US can't easily isolate or harm China."

RUSSIA'S KEY ROLE IN CHINA'S ENERGY STABILITY

One of the biggest points of China-Russia cooperation is the former's energy needs.

Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, China has emerged as one of Russia's most critical economic lifelines. As Russia was sanctioned and isolated by the West, bilateral trade between Beijing and Moscow surged to record levels. China purchases more than one-quarter of Russia's exports.

China's large-scale imports of Russian crude oil have supplied Moscow with hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue through the Ukraine war.

The data collected by the independent research organisation, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, revealed that Beijing has purchased more than $367 billion worth of Russian fossil fuels since the Ukraine war began.

It is the Russian crude imports that have become strategically important for China, amid the instability in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz which raised oil prices and hit its outward supply.

According to Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, Beijing might seek expanded fossil fuel agreements with Russia to secure stable energy supplies in the event of a future conflict over Taiwan.

"Russian oil pipeline capacity into China would significantly enhance Beijing's oil security in a Taiwan contingency," he said in a newsletter, reported The Guardian.

THE HIGH STAKES MONGOLIA-SERBIA PIPELINE TALKS

The biggest issue that is expected to dominate the Xi-Putin talks is the long-delayed gas pipeline negotiations. For years, Russia has been pressuring China to approve a new gas pipeline, which is called the "Power of Siberia 2", through Mongolia linking Siberian gas fields to China's interior.

This project would complement the existing Russian gas infrastructure supplying China. However, fearing over-dependence on a single supplier, Beijing has remained cautious.

The Russian President has been repeatedly pushing for the completion of the pipeline project. Speaking after Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Putin said Russia and China were "very close to agreement on taking a highly significant step forward in oil and gas cooperation".

"If we can finalise them during the visit, I would be very pleased," Putin said during his address.

Natasha Kuhrt told news agency AFP that the relationship with China has become economically indispensable for Putin amid Moscow's growing isolation from the West. "For Putin, the relationship is clearly more important than ever, especially in economic terms," Kuhrt said.

Kuhrt added that the ongoing Iran war and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz could improve Russia's chances of securing Beijing's approval for the long-pending gas pipeline project, as China faces growing concerns over energy supply disruptions. As Russia seeks alternative markets following the Western sanctions due to the Iran war, the breakthrough on the pipeline project would represent a major geopolitical and economic win for Moscow.

CHINA AND RUSSIA ARE NOT AN ALLIANCE, BUT A FLEXIBLE PARTNERSHIP: EXPERTS

Experts argue that the relationship between China and Russia is more pragmatic than ideological. Bobo Lo, former deputy head of mission at the Australian Embassy in Moscow, told the BBC that the "China and Russia's relationship is not an alliance, but it is a flexible strategic partnership".

According to Lo, the partnership has endured repeated predictions of collapse because both countries continue to derive strategic benefits from the relationship despite their differences and asymmetries.

Just days after hosting Trump in Beijing, Xi's welcoming of Putin is both strategic and symbolic. This visit of Putin is projecting China as a global diplomatic power capable of engaging both Washington and Moscow amid rising geopolitical tensions.

While Trump-Xi talks focused on trade, Taiwan, and the Iran war, Putin's visit is centred on energy security, pipeline negotiations, sanctions, and deepening China-Russia ties. At the same time, China sees Russia as critical to its long-term energy security, especially amid instability around the Strait of Hormuz, making the summit a reflection of both geopolitical signalling and mutual strategic necessity.

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