Putin’s Visit to Beijing: Russia and China Consolidate Efforts to Build Negotiating Leverage at the December G20 Summit

From May 19 to 20, 2026, Vladimir Putin made his 25th official visit to China during his tenure as President of the Russian Federation. The visit included talks with Xi Jinping, after which the parties signed 42 documents aimed at expanding their partnership across the political, economic, energy, and social domains.

In particular, the documents concern the extension of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation of 2001, which defines the foundations of Russian-Chinese interaction.

After the talks, Xi Jinping stressed the need to further deepen bilateral relations and announced an intention to jointly counter U.S. and Japanese security initiatives.