Just days after President Donald Trump’s visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin spent May 19 and 20 in meetings with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping. Putin’s trip to Beijing is the most recent of many such diplomatic junkets the Russian leader has made to its neighbor to the south. The Global Times, a CCP-run news outlet, pointed out that “[t]he visit marks Putin’s 25th trip to China,” which is “more than any other incumbent leader of a major country.”
One takeaway from the frequency of Putin’s trips to China is that they underscore the close relationship between Russia and the Red Dragon. But there is a flip side to that perspective: The relationship is fragile and requires frequent outreach from Moscow. This recent trip, coming so close on the heels of Trump’s visit, lends credence to the notion that Putin wanted to ensure no fissure was developing in what has been touted as a “no limits” partnership. From China’s perspective, there appears to be an attempt to balance the Sino-Russian bond with the Trump friendship.
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