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Putin may visit China following Trump's planned diplomatic trip

Published: 29 Mar. 2026, 15:00

President Donald Trump, right, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, arrive for a joint press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit China in May following U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned trip, the South China Morning Post reported Saturday. This unusual sequence highlights Beijing’s growing diplomatic influence as global power dynamics shift.

Sources told the Chinese news outlet that Putin’s potential visit would be later in the month, after Trump’s scheduled trip on May 14 and 15. Trump’s visit had originally been planned for later this month, but was postponed to May due to the Iran war.

It is rare for the leaders of the United States and Russia to visit the same country in the same month for separate bilateral meetings rather than a multilateral summit. While both leaders traveled to China during the Group of 20 summit in September 2016, this would mark the first time they made nearly successive bilateral visits in the same month.

Chinese foreign policy experts explained that the development reflects the need for communication among major powers amid growing global turbulence.

“If there is any element of coincidence in the scheduling of these agendas, it also highlights the importance of further dialogue among China, the United States and Russia, as well as their shared responsibilities for international peace and security,” Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Studies at Nanjing University, said.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at the School of International Studies at Renmin University, views the timing as reflective of China’s effort to manage ties with both sides independently.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrive for a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

“China will neither sacrifice its engagement with the United States for Russia’s interests, especially Russia’s war in Europe, nor will it seek to please the United States at the expense of, or by seriously undermining, China-Russia relations,” Shi said.

Diao Daming, a professor of international relations at Renmin University, stated the close timing of the visits signals China’s diplomatic openness.

“It demonstrates that China’s diplomacy is open and inclusive, emphasizing engagement with all parties through strengthened dialogue and communication,” Diao said. “It also sends a signal that even if high-level engagement with the United States takes place, other diplomatic interactions will continue, including with Russia.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]