President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia will go to China next week for talks with its leader, Xi Jinping, just days after President Trump’s visit to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Mr. Putin watched Mr. Trump’s visit closely and is looking forward to discussing major issues with Mr. Xi during a two-day visit, which will begin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Russian officials had said for days that Mr. Putin would visit China, but the dates were not announced until Saturday. China confirmed that the trip would take place.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, told reporters on Friday that the trip would give Moscow “a good opportunity to share opinions on the contacts that the Chinese had with the Americans.”
The Kremlin said on Saturday that the two leaders would discuss bilateral issues, share thoughts on “the main international and regional problems” and sign several bilateral documents.
Russia has a lopsided economic relationship with China. China supplies more than a third of its imports and buys more than a quarter of its exports, but Russia accounts for only about 4 percent of China’s international trade — a smaller share than Vietnam’s.
But with Moscow engaged in a high-stakes conflict with the West in Ukraine, Beijing has been trying to preserve at least a semblance of equality. And Russia’s value to China as a reliable source of energy has increased since war in Iran put global supplies of oil and natural gas under strain.
For years, Russia has been pushing China to agree to build a gas pipeline that would link its Siberian extraction sites with China’s interior through Mongolia. But Beijing has been hesitant, fearing that the pipeline, which would complement one that already carries Russian gas and another that is nearing completion, would make it too dependent on one supplier.
Speaking after Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, Mr. Putin said that Russia and China were “very close to agreement on taking a highly significant step forward in oil and gas cooperation.”
“If we are able to finalize them during the visit, I would be very pleased,” he said.
Mr. Putin also said that Moscow was closely following the plans for Mr. Trump’s Beijing visit and hoped that there would be “no illegitimate sanctions or escalating economic tensions” between the United States and China. Mr. Trump’s trip ended on Friday with no major announcements.
Andrei Kortunov, a Russian expert on international affairs with the Kremlin-linked Valdai Discussion Club, said at a news conference on Friday in Moscow that talks between Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi “probably won’t always, and in every aspect, be an easy conversation.” But he added that “the current situation also creates additional opportunities for Russia.”
Ivan Nechepurenko covers Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the countries of the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The post China Will Host Putin, Days After Trump’s Visit appeared first on New York Times.
