Xi Calls Russia Ties 'Calm Amid Chaos' as Chinese Leader Hosts Putin in Beijing

[littlemissmartypants]

Source: Kyiv Post

Chinese President Xi Jinping has described China-Russia relations as a force of “calm amid chaos” during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, May 20, as global tensions continue to rise following conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

As per the CNN report, the meeting took place in the Great Hall of the People, marking the start of Putin’s roughly 24-hour state visit to China.

It comes just days after Xi hosted US President Donald Trump for a high-profile summit, underscoring Beijing’s increasingly central diplomatic role between global rivals.

Outside the Great Hall, Xi and senior Chinese officials greeted Putin with full state honors, including a military band, honor guard, and ceremonial gun salute.

Read more: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/76491

---

by Julia Struck-Feshchenko | May 20, 2026, 10:38 am


In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing on May 20, 2026. (Photo by Maxim Stulov / POOL / AFP)

Putin, making his 25th visit to China since taking office, described bilateral ties as having reached an “unprecedentedly high level,” calling them one of the “main stabilizing factors” in global affairs.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall.