Xi and Putin hold talks just days after US President Donald Trump made an official visit to China.
Save Share facebook x whatsapp-stroke copylink Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin inspect an honour guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on May 20, 2026 [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters] By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 20 May 2026 20 May 2026 A meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin has started in Beijing, Chinese state media reports.
Xi welcomed Putin on Wednesday to the Chinese capital, shaking hands with the Russian leader outside the Great Hall of the People in advance of their talks, video by Russian media showed.
Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Putin meets Xi: Why Russia and China need each other list 2 of 4 Putin arrives in China for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping list 3 of 4 China-Russia relations are as strong as ever thanks to Trump list 4 of 4 Trump says Xi assured him China would not send weapons to Iran end of list Before entering the Great Hall, Putin and Xi walked down a red carpet, rolled out to greet the Russian leader, and stood as a military band played their two national anthems.
Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said the visit by Putin and that of the recently concluded trip by US President Donald Trump are very different as the Russian leader is marking 25 years of Sino-Russian friendship and Putin has already visited China 25 times so far.
“So this visit will really be about deepening existing coordination and cooperation,” Yu said.
“We are expecting that the two sides will update each other on the situation in the Middle East as well as Ukraine. No doubt Xi Jinping will also talk to Putin about what was discussed with Donald Trump last week,” Yu said.
Putin is being accompanied by a large delegation of Russian businesspeople and government leaders, Yu said, adding the Kremlin had announced the two leaders will sign some 40 different agreements covering everything from the economy and tourism to education.
“But I think for Putin the main topic of discussion with Xi Jinping is going to be on energy security,” Yu added.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow soon.
