Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing late Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart and “long-time good friend” Xi Jinping, intending to show their ties are unshakeable days after a visit by Donald Trump.
Putin arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport around 11:15 p.m. (15:15 GMT) on Tuesday, where he was greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a military band.
He is accompanied by an entourage of cabinet ministers and the chief executives of Russia’s largest state-owned and private corporations for the two-day state visit.
The delegation includes Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, as well as the heads of state development corporation VEB, nuclear agency Rosatom and space corportation Roscosmos.
Sberbank CEO German Gref, VTB Bank CEO Andrei Kostin and Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina are also traveling, alongside five deputy prime ministers and eight cabinet ministers.
“We’re not competing with anyone in the composition of our delegations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday. “We’re developing our independent and very multifaceted relations with China.”
The May 19-20 summit comes less than a week after Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing.
While Trump also brought a delegation of prominent American executives, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, the Kremlin downplayed any comparisons, framing its own trip as a reflection of a “privileged, special strategic partnership.”
According to earlier reports, Putin intends to make a renewed push to convince Xi to finalize the stalled Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project. The proposed route through Mongolia would transport 50 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually from the Yamal Peninsula to northern China.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov confirmed those reports, telling reporters that the Power of Siberia 2 would be “discussed in great detail… and we’re committed to discussing it seriously.”
The Kremlin said Putin and Xi will sign a joint declaration at the conclusion of their talks to further strengthen their comprehensive partnership.
AFP contributed reporting.
