Xi Jinping, Putin hold talks in Beijing on Iran, Ukraine, trade

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held wide-ranging talks in Beijing on Wednesday, focusing on bilateral cooperation and major global flashpoints including Iran, the Ukraine war, trade tensions and regional security developments.

The high-profile meeting at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People came just days after US President Donald Trump visited China and held extensive discussions with Xi on issues ranging from Iran and Ukraine to bilateral trade frictions and Indo-Pacific developments.

Ahead of the talks, Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Xi before the two leaders began formal bilateral discussions.

Putin, who arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night, was received by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

In a video address released before his visit, Putin described Russia-China ties as having reached “a truly unprecedented level”, underlining the growing strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing amid mounting tensions with the West.

“Regular top-level exchanges are an integral part of efforts to deepen bilateral relations and unlock their limitless potential,” Putin said.

China’s foreign ministry said the two leaders would exchange views on bilateral cooperation as well as “international and regional issues of mutual interest”.

“This is Putin’s 25th visit to China,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said earlier this week, highlighting the close strategic ties and personal rapport shared by the two leaders.

“The two sides will take this visit as an opportunity to continue promoting China-Russia relations to a higher level, which will inject greater stability and positive energy into the world,” Guo added.

Since Xi came to power in 2012, the two leaders have met dozens of times and frequently referred to each other as “dear friend”, signalling deepening political trust between the two powers.

Analysts view the Xi-Putin partnership as one of the most influential geopolitical alignments in the world today, driven by expanding cooperation in trade, energy, defence and diplomacy, alongside a shared pushback against Western influence.

Putin’s visit also comes at a time of rising instability in West Asia following Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the US seizure of Iranian ports — developments that have heightened global concerns over energy supplies and regional security.

Iran remains a close strategic partner of both Russia and China, with Beijing continuing to import large volumes of Iranian oil despite US sanctions.

In his address, Putin noted that annual trade between Russia and China had crossed USD 200 billion, with transactions increasingly conducted in rubles and yuan rather than the US dollar.

He further said the Russia-China strategic partnership served as a “major stabilising force” in global affairs and stressed continued coordination through multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS.

With PTI inputs