1 of 2 | Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during the Victory Day military parade May 9 at Red Square in Moscow. Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit. Photo by Kremlin/UPI | License Photo
May 19 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Tuesday in Beijing for a state visit after U.S. President Donald Trump made a similar visit last week.
It's Putin's 25th trip to the country and marks his most recent meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping with a "quite packed" schedule, Russian news agency TASS reported. The two leaders have met more than 40 times over their respective tenures.
"Hosting two of the most powerful leaders in the world in a matter of days shows China's growing confidence in its place and standing in the world," said William Yang, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, The Guardian reported. He said the Chinese leader "likely wants to remind Trump that Beijing has other solid and robust relationships that it can count on, so Washington can't easily isolate or harm Beijing if it tries to."
TASS said that Xi will host Putin for tea and the two leaders will discuss "pressing international issues." The visit will also include talks involving delegations, a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a tour of an exhibit on the relationship between the two countries and other events, the news agency said.
