Putin's Beijing Visit Highlights Differences with Trump's Trip

A week after Trump's second visit to Beijing, Putin also visited a Chinese city. Here's what this visit tells us about Russia-China relations and how it differs from Trump's visit.

Within a week of Chinese President Xi Jinping welcoming US President Donald Trump for a state visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin was also welcomed in a similar style. However, there were some small but clear differences.

However, the Kremlin stated that not everything is as it appears from the outside and that it is important to look at the substance (content) rather than the formal aspects of these two visits.

• Differences seen in airport welcome

The welcome and farewell at the airport are just one of many signals of China's diplomatic practice; the state banquet is another important signal. A simple reason for these differences can be attributed to Trump's shorter visit. Compared to Putin, Trump visits Beijing less frequently, so his visit can be understood as having more significance.

In accordance with diplomatic protocol, Putin was welcomed at the airport by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang is a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. Furthermore, due to his dual role as Foreign Minister and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Party, he is considered one of China's top diplomats.

In contrast, Trump was welcomed by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. Although Han is not a member of the Politburo Standing Committee since 2022, he is a high-ranking state leader at the national level.

• Same host, different style: How was the agenda different?

Putin and Xi shook hands for about eight seconds. Last week, when Xi met Trump, their handshake lasted for more than 10 seconds. At that time, Trump leaned forward and patted Xi's arm, which was seen as a very intimate gesture.

Both leaders were welcomed with a guard of honor and a gun salute in the Great Hall of the People in a similar manner.

• Talks

Despite praising the host continuously for two days, Trump left China on Friday without securing any major trade deals or concrete assistance from Beijing to end the Iran war. A China-US joint statement was also not issued. Later, both sides separately released details of achievements, including the sale of Boeing aircraft, the lifting of restrictions on agricultural exports, and a reduction in customs duties in the future.

A joint statement of 9,935 words was issued after the talks between Putin and Xi. In addition to topics ranging from nuclear security and Taiwan to Amur tigers, giant pandas, and golden snub-nosed monkeys, a short joint declaration was also signed. Twenty other documents were signed on various topics, from sanitation standards and government news to nuclear energy, although no major deal was announced.

There was also a clear difference in the composition of the delegations. The US delegation had fewer top-level government officials, including only Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Their main focus was on 18 business leaders in the technology, finance, aviation, consumer, and manufacturing sectors.

On the Russian side, 5 out of 10 Deputy Prime Ministers and eight cabinet ministers participated, prioritizing the oil, energy, and banking sectors. Russia also organized two separate bilateral meetings – first a limited meeting with few officials, followed by an expanded discussion.

• Other cultural programs

A highlight of Putin's visit was the viewing of an open photo exhibition organized by Russia's TASS and China's Xinhua news agencies. The exhibition, titled 'Unbreakable Friendship of Great Nations, Strategic Partnership of Great Powers,' featured special photographs of the leaders' past meetings. Putin's poetic remark to Xi, 'A day's separation feels like three autumns,' further clarified this friendship.

Xi took Trump to the famous Temple of Heaven for the first time. This is an important symbol of Chinese culture, where Chinese emperors once prayed for good harvests. According to Beijing-based historian Lars Ulrik Thom, it is the best background to showcase the depth of Chinese history, its antiquity, and sophistication.

• State Banquet

The banquet held for Putin included shrimp broth, beef with bean sauce, and Peking duck, a famous dish of the Chinese capital. Trump was also served the same dish during his state visit last week. The state banquet for Trump and his delegation was broadcast live on television, but Putin's banquet was not.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, during the banquet, the People's Liberation Army's military band played various Chinese and Russian tunes. These included a classical piece from the Peking Opera tradition and Tchaikovsky's 'Dance of the Little Swans' from Swan Lake.

• Private Meetings

Due to the visit being shortened to one day, Putin was taken to a late-night meeting with tea. However, Trump was given a rare tour of the secluded Zhongnanhai gardens, where he showed interest in the 1,000-year-old trees.

• Farewell

Putin was bid farewell at Beijing Airport by Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Guoqing. Zhang is a member of the Politburo, the second highest decision-making body of the Communist Party. Also present were China's Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui and Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin.

On Trump's departure, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, and China's Ambassador to the US Qin Gang were present to see him off. Like Zhang, Wang is also a Politburo member at the deputy head of state level in the protocol hierarchy.

• Putin and Xi's long relationship

Since Xi's first visit to Russia shortly after becoming Chinese President in 2013, these two leaders have repeatedly visited each other's countries. Since then, Xi has visited Russia at least 10 times for state visits and international events. Putin has visited China 14 times since 2014. Except for the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, he has traveled to China at least once every year.

On the other hand, Donald Trump has visited China only twice as president. Xi, as president, has visited the US five times, including one visit during Trump's first term. Former US President Joe Biden, however, did not visit China during his term.

Putin and Xi have also met many times outside their respective countries. Since 2013, they have had more than 40 face-to-face meetings, including about 15 meetings on the sidelines of international forums in other countries. During the same period, they have had at least 18 phone calls and five video conferences.

Reuters