Putin set to visit China soon after Trump’s Beijing trip, report says

BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to China next week, only days after United States President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to Beijing.

The one-day trip is planned for May 20, citing sources. The visit is part of Moscow’s regular engagement with Beijing and is not expected to feature an elaborate parade or major welcome ceremony. Neither the Chinese nor Russian governments have so far publicly confirmed the date.

Trump completed his three-day visit to China on Friday. During the first visit by a US president to China in nine years, he held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on trade, Taiwan, the conflict in the Middle East and other matters.

Kremlin says preparations nearly complete

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Putin would be travelling to China soon and that preparations for the trip were almost finished.

We will announce them shortly. This visit is being prepared. One can say that preparations are already complete, with only final touches remaining. It will take place in the very near future.

When asked about possible Russia-China contacts after Trump’s visit to Beijing, Peskov said the Russian leadership expected communication with Xi regardless of the American president’s trip.

On Friday, Peskov said Putin’s discussions in China would cover the full scope of bilateral ties as well as international issues.

The agenda is clear — first and foremost, it's our bilateral relations, a special privileged strategic partnership, and a substantial volume of trade and economic cooperation, which consistently exceeds $200 billion.

And, of course, international affairs will also be prominently featured.

Beijing says both sides in close contact

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters on Friday that Beijing and Moscow were in close communication over arrangements for the meeting between the two presidents. He said more information would be released in due course.

If the visit goes ahead, it would be the first time China has hosted the leaders of the two powers in the same month outside a multilateral setting.

The latest meeting between Putin and Xi took place on February 4 by video link.

That, if Putin’s trip materialises, China would become the first country to host all four leaders of the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council within a period of months. The five permanent members are China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in December, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled there in January.