Xi, Putin wrap Beijing summit

Vladimir Putin left Beijing on May 20 after a day of talks with Xi Jinping that both governments used to show the durability of China-Russia ties as fighting continued in Ukraine and Iran. Chinese and Russian official readouts said the two leaders met at the Great Hall of the People, signed joint statements and witnessed additional cooperation documents. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported Putin described the talks as “successful, fruitful and intensive” at a tea meeting with Xi later on Wednesday. Xi said after the talks that the two sides had engaged in “in-depth, friendly and fruitful” discussions and signed a joint statement on strengthening strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborly cooperation. (mfa.gov.cn) China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries would also issue a second joint statement on a multipolar world and a new type of international relations. ### Why did this Beijing meeting draw so much attention? May 20 was Putin’s 25th visit to China, according to Xi, and it came days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing. AP reported Xi and Putin used the meeting to hail strategic ties and expanding energy trade, while Chinese state accounts cast the relationship as being at a new stage. (bloomberg.com) The Kremlin’s calendar listed a full day in Beijing, including one-on-one talks with Xi, expanded talks, press statements, a ceremony on education cooperation and a tea reception. That schedule underscored that the summit was designed as both a diplomatic meeting and a public display of state-to-state coordination. (mfa.gov.cn) ### What did Xi and Putin actually announce? Xi said the leaders signed a statement on “further strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination” and agreed to extend the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia again. Chinese government accounts said the two sides also witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents, while AP said there were more than 40 agreements in areas including trade, technology and media. (mfa.gov.cn) Chinese state media said Xi and Putin pledged to work for what they called a more just and equitable world order. Reuters, in a report carried by MSN, said Putin told Xi that bilateral ties were at an “unprecedented level” and invited him to visit Russia next year. (en.kremlin.ru) ### What did they say about Iran and the wider region? A joint statement published on the Kremlin website and described by ABC News said China and Russia called for an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as a matter of “utmost urgency.” The statement said U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran breached international law and undermined Middle East stability, according to ABC’s account of the text. (mfa.gov.cn) ABC also reported the statement condemned what it called “treacherous military strikes,” assassinations of leaders of sovereign states and attempts at regime change. Social-media and secondary reports tied the same package of summit messaging to support for Syria’s sovereignty and concern over Arctic militarization, though those points were less fully detailed in the official Chinese press summary available on May 21. (english.gov.cn) ### How did each side describe the relationship? Xi said China-Russia relations now stand at “the highest level in history” and called political mutual trust the relationship’s most prominent feature. He said the countries would continue to support each other on core interests and major concerns. (abcnews.com) Putin said the relationship had reached an unprecedented level, according to Reuters’ report. Chinese state media said the two leaders hailed a “new stage” in ties and linked that language to the extension of the friendship treaty and broader strategic coordination. ### What comes next after the summit? (abcnews.com) The two governments said on May 20 that the summit produced two joint statements and a batch of bilateral cooperation documents. Xi also said he and Putin had decided to extend the friendship treaty again, making implementation of those documents the immediate next step after Putin’s departure from Beijing. (mfa.gov.cn) Reuters reported Putin invited Xi to visit Russia next year. The Kremlin calendar for May 20 shows the Beijing program is complete, and the next public markers are likely to come through the release and execution of the agreements announced after the talks. (mfa.gov.cn) (msn.com)