Vladimir Putin will visit China in May on his first major trip for his new presidential term, according to Reuters, where he will hold talks with Xi Jinping.

International reactions to Putin’s re-election are indicative of the widening geopolitical rifts due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Western governments on Monday condemned Putin’s re-election as a travesty and undemocratic. However, China, India and North Korea congratulated him on extending his rule for another six years,

“Putin will visit China,” one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. The details were independently confirmed by four other sources, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, the news agency reported.

Another of the sources said that Putin’s trip to China will likely take place in the second half of May. Two of the sources said Putin’s visit would take place before Xi Jinping’s planned trip to Europe.

The Kremlin, when asked about the Reuters information, said information on Putin’s visits would be released closer to the date.

“Several presidential visits and several high-level contacts are being prepared at the moment,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We’ll let you know as we get closer.”

China and Russia agreed to a partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing days before sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, sparking Europe’s bloodiest ground war since World War II.

The United States sees China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest threat, while US President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential conflict between democracies and authoritarian regimes.

Putin and Xi share a broad worldview that characterizes the West as decadent. China, too, challenges US supremacy in everything from quantum computing and synthetic biology to espionage and hard military power.

Putin and Xi Jinping

China has strengthened trade and military ties with Russia in recent years as the United States and its allies imposed sanctions on both countries, particularly Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Foreign diplomats and observers said they expected Putin to make China his first stop after his re-election. Putin’s official presidential inauguration is scheduled to take place around May 7.

Xi visited Russia on his first overseas trip since the pandemic in March last year, shortly after starting his third term as the country’s presidency.

The two leaders often tout their close personal friendship and have met more than 40 times, most recently when Putin visited in October as a guest of honor at the China Belt and Road summit in Beijing.

China-Russia trade reached $218.2 billion in January-November, according to Chinese customs data, surpassing the target of increasing bilateral trade to over $200 billion by 2024 set by the two countries.
Xi, in a conversation with Putin last month, said both sides should resolutely oppose foreign interference in domestic affairs, pointing to the U.S.