In an event that was closely observed, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and show off their nations’ “no-limits” relationship while the conflict in Ukraine raged on.
Putin and his entourage arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday morning, marking just his second known journey overseas since the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March. He was welcomed there by the Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
After visiting Kyrgyzstan, another former Soviet republic, earlier this month, it is also the Kremlin leader’s first official travel outside of the former Soviet Union this year.
If Putin steps foot on one of the 123 countries that make up the ICC, which has accused him of forcibly removing children from Ukraine, those countries are required to detain him and send him to The Hague for trial. China and Kyrgyzstan are not participants in the ICC’s war crimes trials.
Only a few days after the warrant was issued, Xi last visited his “dear friend” in Moscow. At that time, Xi extended an invitation to Putin to join him at the third Belt and Road meeting, an event for global cooperation that would be held in Beijing.
Xi was beaming as the two men clasped hands as Putin arrived at the Great Hall of the People for an evening supper planned for world leaders and dignitaries attending the conference.
The forum’s principal visitor, Putin, stood to Xi’s right as the world leaders gathered in the Great Hall for group photos.
After Xi’s opening remarks on Wednesday at the forum, Putin will also address. Later that day, they will meet separately.
Even as the crisis in Ukraine showed no signs of ending, Beijing has resisted Western criticism of its alliance with Moscow, arguing that their ties do not violate international law and that China has the right to cooperate with whichever nation it chooses.
Putin’s most recent trip to China was for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, just days before the Russian president deployed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. At the time, China and Russia pledged a “no-limits” cooperation.
Putin would be attending the Belt and Road Forum for the third time, which continues through Wednesday. He participated in the 2017 and 2019 forums.
The summit is focused on the Belt and Road initiative, a large-scale project that Xi initiated a decade ago and believes would create global energy and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe through land and water routes.
The project has received plaudits from Putin, who described it as a forum for global cooperation where “no one imposes anything on others.”
Russia and China have strengthened their energy relations since the conflict in Ukraine began as a demonstration of their economic collaboration.
More over a third of Russia’s daily crude oil exports to China are around 2.0 million barrels. Additionally, Moscow wants to construct a second natural gas pipeline to China.
Even though Putin’s traveling party will include the CEOs of Rosneft and Gazprom, two of Russia’s largest oil and gas companies, no new energy agreements can be anticipated.
According to the Kremlin, the trip was done in conjunction with an international conference rather than as a “full-fledged bilateral” visit.
