Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on May 20, 2026, for a 24-hour state visit marking Putin's 25th trip to China and the 25th anniversary of their 2001 friendship treaty. The leaders signed approximately 20 agreements extending visa-free travel until 2027 and deepening AI cooperation, while jointly condemning US President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense system as a threat to strategic stability. The summit came days after Trump's own landmark visit to Beijing and amid significant developments including a major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow with over 500 drones and Russia's first net territorial loss since August 2024. Xi and Putin also criticized US-Israeli military strikes against Iran and the assassination of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for a multipolar world order and enhanced strategic coordination against what they termed unilateral hegemonic currents.
Xi-Putin Beijing summit
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin agreed to extend visa-free travel for each other's citizens until the end of 2027
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have met more than 40 times
- ▪China and Russia signed some 20 agreements during Putin's May 2026 visit to Beijing
- ▪Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on May 20, 2026
- ▪Vladimir Putin's May 2026 visit to China was his 25th official visit to China during his quarter-century as Russia's leader
- ▪Xi Jinping hosted President Donald Trump for a landmark US-China summit days before hosting Vladimir Putin in May 2026
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin pledged deeper cooperation on artificial intelligence during the May 2026 Beijing summit
- ▪President Donald Trump received a red-carpet welcome during his visit to Beijing in May 2026
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement during Putin's May 2026 Beijing visit
- ▪Vladimir Putin's state visit to Beijing lasted roughly 24 hours
Golden Dome missile defense criticism
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin denounced Trump's plan to build a multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense system in a joint statement
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin stated that the US Golden Dome project poses a clear threat to strategic stability
US-Israeli Iran war response
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin stated in a joint statement that US-Israeli strikes against Iran undermined stability in the Middle East
China-Russia strategic partnership deepening
- ▪The 2001 China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation resolved long-standing border frictions and ushered in a new period of cooperation
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin opposed external forces interfering in the internal affairs of Latin American and Caribbean countries under any pretext
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin expressed support for the status of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace
- ▪China and Russia are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 2001 Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation
- ▪Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin's joint statement reiterated their close ties and a desire for a multipolar world
Putin weakened by Ukraine losses
- ▪Days before Vladimir Putin's May 2026 arrival in Beijing, Ukraine launched what Russian media said was the largest attack on Moscow in more than a year, targeting the capital with more than 500 drones
- ▪Russia suffered what analysts say was the first net loss of territory since August 2024 in the month before Putin's May 2026 Beijing visit
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