Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, marking what could be the Kremlin leader’s first overseas stop during his final presidential term.
“Putin will be China,” Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing one of the many resources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another source said Putin’s visit to China would likely take place in the second half of May.
“A number of presidential visits and high-level contacts are being prepared lately,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Newsweek has reached out to Russia’s Foreign Ministry and China’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
Putin’s prospect comes amid complaints of his re-election from Western countries, which have called it unfair and undemocratic. Meanwhile, countries including China, India and North Korea have congratulated the Russian president, underscoring the severe geopolitical divisions created by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. in 2022.
China has officially supported Russia’s invasion but has provided monetary aid to prop up the Kremlin’s economy.
Any meeting between Putin and Xi would take a position opposite to a backdrop in which the United States sees China and Russia as its main global competitors and potential adversaries. The Biden administration sees the current era as a clash between democratic and autocratic regimes.
Putin and Xi share the view that the West is in decline, especially as China demands situations of U. S. dominance in a variety of fields, ranging from quantum computing to military power.
Diplomats and analysts expect Putin’s visit to China to be his first foreign visit after his re-election, and that his formal presidential inauguration is expected around May 7.
Putin last visited China for the Belt and Road Initiative summit on Oct. 17-18, 2023, one of his first major trips abroad since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Xi traveled to Moscow to visit a state in March last year.
Last month, China’s envoy to Russia hinted that Putin and Xi would meet “several times” this year.
“Putin’s visit to China [this year] will definitely be a success,” Zhang Hanhui told Russia’s official news firm Sputnik on Saturday.
At a post-election press conference on Monday, Putin highlighted the alignment of global perspectives and bilateral development between Russia and China, attributing the strength of their ties to his personal relationship with Xi.
Trade between China and Russia has flourished, surpassing the $200 billion target last year and reaching a record $240 billion in 2023, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D. C. , told Newsweek.
Aadil Brar is a Newsweek reporter founded in Taipei, Taiwan. It covers foreign security, U. S. -China relations, and security in East Asia. In the past, Aadil has reported for the BBC World Service. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and SOAS at the University of London. Send Aadil suggestions or tips to a. brar@newsweek. com.