A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing, China and Russia are set to hold a summit on Wednesday featuring formal talks, a signing ceremony, and an informal session over tea between both the Presidents, who have called each other "old friends."
The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin will include discussions on bilateral and international issues, capped by a private tête-à-tête over tea, Reuters reported.
Coming days after US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing, the back-to-back diplomatic engagements have drawn considerable international attention.
The Tea Tradition
The informal tea session is not incidental. Xi is known for hosting visiting leaders over tea, and the setting and manner of such exchanges are widely viewed as an indication of the Chinese leader's regard for his guest.
When Xi hosted Putin in May 2024, the leaders spoke over tea outdoors in Zhongnanhai — a former imperial garden that now serves as the working headquarters of China's ruling Communist Party. Trump's recent visit to the same compound appeared more formal and choreographed by comparison.
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What's on the Table
The Kremlin has set "serious expectations" for the visit, which will include a signing ceremony and a state banquet ahead of the closing tea session.
Reuters reported that around 40 documents are expected to be signed, and a 47-page joint statement on the two countries' partnership is to be released. A joint declaration on a multipolar world order and a "new type of international relations" is also anticipated, according to a Kremlin aide.
On energy, negotiations on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline — intended to carry Russian gas into northern China — are expected to feature in the discussions, the report added, though analysts note Beijing may prefer to maintain its energy diversification strategy.
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The Broader Context
"Beijing is loving the optics of this. They're loving being the centre of world attention, and they will be playing it for their domestic audience for all that it's worth," Graeme Smith, a senior fellow at the Australian National University's Pacific Affairs department, told Reuters.
Trade between the two countries has been on an upward trajectory.
Two-way trade rose 16.1% in the first four months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, the report said, offering a relatively stable economic foundation ahead of what both sides have billed as a significant diplomatic meeting.
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