Xi, Putin to hold talks in Beijing days after Trump visit amid Iran war

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold talks Wednesday in Beijing, just days after US President Donald Trump’s visit to China amid the Iran war.

The visit comes a week after Trump paid a state visit to China.

It also marks the first time China has hosted the leaders of Russia and the US in the same month outside a multilateral setting.

Beijing-based analyst Einar Tangen told Anadolu that the “sequencing” of the meetings matters more than the “content.”

Putin’s delegation is “state-heavy” — comprising energy executives, security officials, industrial planners and political actors tied to sanctions management and long-term alignment — reflecting a logic of “strategic survival under constraint,” he said, as Putin brought a large delegation of officials and business leaders with him to China.

The US engages China through markets, capital and technology flows, while Russia engages China through energy dependence and geopolitical alignment, Tangen added.

Trump and Putin visiting China consecutively is a “signal” demonstrating that Beijing “has the ability and bandwidth to handle both simultaneously and manage each on separate tracks,” he said.

“China is functioning as the convergence point where rival systems intersect without resolving their contradictions,” Tangen stated.

Leaders to discuss trade, Iran war, Ukraine conflict

Topics on the agenda include bilateral relations, trade, the US-Iran war, energy cooperation and the Ukraine conflict.

Energy cooperation between the two sides is expected to deepen, while trade targets are likely to be reaffirmed or modestly raised.

Putin will be accorded a welcoming ceremony by Xi, after which the two leaders will hold talks. Their delegations will also convene for working sessions.

The two leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and several other agreements following the talks.

Putin will later meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss trade and economic cooperation.

According to Tangen, the takeaway of the visit is “continuity under constraint,” with incremental steps reinforcing the Russia-China economic axis rather than any major shift.

He said the talks are expected to stress sovereignty, non-interference and opposition to sanctions, while maintaining support for diplomatic solutions on Iran and broader security issues.

The political messaging is expected to remain centered on “sovereignty, multipolarity and resistance to external pressure,” he said.

The Iran war has made Russia more strategically important, Tangen also noted, saying closer ties between resource-rich Russia and manufacturing powerhouse China are a source of concern in Washington.

The trip coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the two countries. The Sino-Russian friendship treaty was signed in 2001 by then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Putin.

Putin and Xi will participate in the opening ceremony of the Russia-China Years of Education 2026-2027.

Bilateral trade between Russia and China reached more than $240 billion in 2023, more than doubling pre-Ukraine war levels.

China now absorbs roughly 50% of Russia’s crude oil exports, according to 2024-2025 estimates.