After Xi–Putin 2026: Institutionalization, Eastward Rewire, and Japan's Dilemma (Part 1)
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Two Narratives Standing Side by Side in the Great Hall of the People
On May 20, 2026, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin stood side by side in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. Both the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin confirmed that Putin made an official visit to China on May 19–20, 2026, and held talks with Xi in the same building on May 20. The Chinese Foreign Ministry described the meeting as a deepening of the “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.” It also stated that the two countries issued joint statements on extending the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, building a fairer and more equitable international order, and promoting multipolarity. The basis for this account is set out in the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s meeting announcement and joint statement announcement.
Read only through Western headlines, the scene becomes simpler. Reuters and Washington Post-type coverage centered on criticism of the United States’ missile defense concept, the display of coordination against Washington, Russia’s dependence on China, and the absence of a formal agreement on Power of Siberia 2. AP placed the meeting a few days after Trump’s visit to China. In Western pages, the Beijing handshake often fit into two contexts: the formation of an anti-U.S. bloc and the unresolved status of a major gas project.
