Xi Jinping prepares to welcome Vladimir Putin to China, four days after hosting Donald Trump

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday ahead of the Russian president’s visit to Beijing this week, four days since Donald Trump left China after a high-stakes summit . Xi, China’s leader, said bilateral cooperation between Russia and China had “continuously deepened and solidified”, with this year marking the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ strategic partnership, according to Chinese state media. Putin’s visit to Beijing is scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday. An article published in state media tabloid the Global Times on Monday said the visits of the US and Russian presidents showed Beijing was “fast emerging as the focal point of global diplomacy”. “The tightly sequenced visits have sparked widespread attention, with analysts noting that it is extremely rare in the post-cold war era for a country to host the leaders of the US and Russia back-to-back within a week,” the Global Times said. China’s deepened relationship with Russia has been a cause for concern in the west , particularly since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. China’s economic and diplomatic support for Russia since then has helped to sustain the conflict, according to western diplomats and analysts. The two men have met on more than 40 occasions, far outstripping Xi’s encounters with western leaders. China and Russia’s bilateral trade has soared to record levels since 2022, with China purchasing more than one-quarter of Russia’s exports. …