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China has rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin, just days after Xi Jinping hosted US President Donald Trump.
Mr Putin met Mr Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two leaders sharing a long handshake and posing for a photo, before a lavish welcome ceremony kicked off in scenes near identical to Mr Trump’s welcome.
The two leaders walked down the red carpet to the centre of the square, where they stood as the Chinese military band played the Russian and Chinese national anthems.
The pair then continues down their journey down the red carpet, inspecting a neat line of Chinese soldiers before making their way past cheering children dressed in brightly coloured clothes and waving Chinese and Russian flags.
Mr Putin arrived in Beijing late on Tuesday for the two-day state visit and was greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as was Mr Trump days earlier.
Mr Trump wrapped up his high-stakes two-day visit last Friday, May 15.
Strategic talks
During the brief visit Mr Putin and Mr Xi are set to discuss how to strengthen Russia and China’s strategic partnership and “exchange views on key international and regional issues”, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Following talks, they are expected to sign a joint statement on co-operation.
Russia and China’s ties have deepened since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Mr Putin visiting Beijing every year since as his country is cut off diplomatically on the world stage.
Beijing has regularly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia for sending in troops, presenting itself instead as a neutral party.
The nations’ relationship is far from equal, with Russia heavily dependent economically on China the main buyer of sanctioned Russian oil.
Among topics Mr Xi and Mr Putin could discuss is the construction of the major “Power of Siberia 2” natural gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia – a land alternative to crude imported by sea from the Middle East – which Moscow is keen to get underway.
‘Enduring friendship’
Setting a warm tone for the visit, Mr Xi and Mr Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday to mark 30 years of their countries’ strategic partnership.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun lauded “the enduring friendship between China and Russia” on Tuesday.
And in a video message to the Chinese people released on Tuesday, Putin said relations have reached “a truly unprecedented level”, and that “trade between Russia and China continues to grow”.
“The close strategic relationship between Russia and China plays a major, stabilising role globally. Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity,” Mr Putin said, without mentioning any third country.
Appetite for oil
Mr Putin will be hoping for China to deepen its commitment to Moscow, after Mr Trump told Fox News during his visit that Beijing had agreed to buy US oil to feed its “insatiable” appetite for energy.
With Russia reliant on sales to China to sustain its war effort, “Putin does not want to lose that support”, Asia Society’s Lyle Morris told AFP.
“Putin will likely be keen to hear from Xi about China’s next step in the Middle East,” Morris said, after “Trump signalled clearly that he hopes Beijing will play a leading role”.
When it comes to the US-Israeli war on Iran, though, China and Russia may have different priorities.
“(China) relies on the freedom of the world’s major waterways to sustain its economic activities, and would prefer that the stand off in the Strait of Hormuz end sooner rather than later,” James Char of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University told AFP.
On the other hand, Moscow has “been benefiting economically from the fighting in Iran due to the relaxation of sanctions against Russian energy supplies, so may have a different view”, he said.
– With AFP
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