Xi Jinping receives Vladimir Putin in Beijing to present a united front in the face of global tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to host his "old friend" Vladimir Putin in Beijing this week, just days after the highly publicized visit of Donald Trump in China. Beijing is thus seeking to strengthen its image as a stable power in a global context marked by conflicts, trade tensions and energy crises.

Vladimir Putin's two-day visit, his 25th to China, is being presented by Moscow and Beijing as a further demonstration of their "unbreakable" partnership. This meeting comes as Western countries continue to urge China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

Chinese authorities are attempting to maintain a balanced diplomatic stance, presenting themselves as a potential mediator and a neutral party in the Ukrainian conflict. For his part, Vladimir Putin regularly asserts that Moscow and Beijing are mutually defending their "core interests" in the face of Western pressure.

Discussions between the two leaders are also expected to focus on energy cooperation, an area that has become central to Sino-Russian relations since the sanctions imposed on Moscow. China has become a key economic partner for Russia, particularly for its oil and gas exports.

This visit comes at a particularly tense international time, marked by uncertainties surrounding relations between Washington and Beijing, conflicts in the Middle East, and disruptions in global energy markets. Beijing is seeking to present itself as a predictable diplomatic actor in the face of an unstable geopolitical environment.

Vladimir Putin's trip to China is also politically symbolic. Despite Western criticism and Moscow's diplomatic isolation in several European capitals, the Kremlin continues to maintain close ties with the world's second-largest economy.

Through this meeting, China and Russia intend to demonstrate that their strategic rapprochement remains solid despite international pressures, while strengthening their economic, energy and diplomatic cooperation in an increasingly polarized world order.