Putin is scheduled to travel to China from May 16–17.

Timmy Mabs | 14th May, 2024.

China's President Xi Jinping (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) (file photo)

Following his sixth inauguration as Russian president, Vladimir Putin will travel to China for the first time, according to the Kremlin website.

He'll be there on May 16 and 17. Participation in various events centered around Russian-Chinese ties, as well as visits to Beijing and Harbin, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Government Chief Li Qiang, are all part of the schedule.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Putin may attempt to boost trade between the two countries during the trip. The prospect of Western sanctions caused a 16 percent decline in Chinese exports to Russia in March of this year compared to the same month the previous year. 

China keeps sending electronics, machine tools, and other products to Russia that might be used to support Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. Additionally, China restocks its budget by purchasing energy resources from Russia. End of April saw a threat of secondary sanctions from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken against China for continuing to provide Russia with dual-use commodities.

Emmanuel Macron of France and Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to use his clout with Moscow to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine during his recent European tour. In reply, Xi Jinping said that China is not involved in the fight and he would just hope for peace.