Putin in Beijing as Russia and China deepen alliance

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, marking their second meeting in under a year amid escalating geopolitical tensions. The visit comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump concluded his own trip to China, with analysts saying the Kremlin deliberately timed Putin's arrival to signal that Russia remains closer to Beijing than Washington. Ed Price, a researcher at NYU, stated that while Putin has "territorial ambitions" in Ukraine to the west, he must achieve diplomatic success in the east with China, framing the trip as part of a long-term strategy to strengthen ties with Xi while managing what Russia views as the NATO threat in Eastern Europe. The two leaders are expected to focus heavily on energy cooperation, particularly the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project. The proposed 2,600-kilometer pipeline would route up to 50 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to China through Mongolia, potentially doubling Russia's pipeline exports to Beijing. However, China has historically been reluctant to commit, preferring to maintain energy diversification. Notably, China's dependence on seaborne oil imports, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, has grown as recent Middle East conflicts threaten supply routes, potentially making overland Russian gas more attractive to Beijing. Economic interdependence between the two nations has deepened dramatically since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Bilateral trade reached $228 billion in 2024, with Russia exporting approximately $129 billion in goods—mostly discounted oil, coal, and gas—to China, while receiving nearly $116 billion in machinery, electronics, and vehicles that replaced Western suppliers. According to Bloomberg, China now supplies approximately 90 percent of Russia's imports of sanctioned technology, including dual-use items and drone components essential for its war effort. Meanwhile, more than 99 percent of bilateral trade is settled in rubles and yuans as both countries accelerate de-dollarization efforts. Xi may also seek advanced military technology from Russia, including in nuclear submarine propulsion and ballistic missile defense, potentially leveraging Russia's growing economic dependence on China to secure better terms in energy negotiations.