The Russian president has arrived in Beijing to meet with its leader and cement the two nations’ allyship.
Vladimir Putin landed in the capital on Tuesday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
He is set to speak as the chief guest at the third Belt and Road forum – a plan to build global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe.
Putin has previously praised the initiative, saying it is a platform for international cooperation, where "no one imposes anything on others."
Putin and Xi Jinping declared they had a “no-limits” partnership during the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, just days before Putin sent thousands of his troops into Ukraine.The pair greeted each other as “dear friends” when Jinping visited Moscow in March.
Despite the West being critical of its alliance amid the war, China insists its ties do not violate international norms, and argues it has the right to collaborate with whichever country it chooses.
Putin has become increasingly isolated from the international stage since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March. He is accused of illegally deporting children from Ukraine.
The warrant means the court’s 123 member states have to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory but China is not a member and neither is Kyrgyzstan – the only other country Putin has visited this year.
Since the start of the Ukrainian conflict, Russia has cemented its energy ties with China as a sign of their economic cooperation.
Beijing has tried to help Russia through the sanctions imposed on it by the West by making deals to pipe more Russian natural gas in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
Russia exports around two million barrels of oil per day to China, more than a third of its total crude oil exports.
