Putin visits Xi Jinping in China days after Trump — but key gas pipeline deal stalls

Vladimir Putin flew to China just four days after Donald Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping, returning with what Russian state media called a 'suitcase of signed documents'. However, according to China expert Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Berlin Center, the visit yielded little of substance — particularly on the flagship Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project.

## Two leaders, one week in Beijing

[Vladimir Putin](/politicians/vladimir-putin) visited Chinese President [Xi Jinping](/politicians/xi-jinping) in Beijing just four days after [Donald Trump](/politicians/donald-trump) wrapped up his own high-profile meeting with the Chinese leader. The rapid succession of visits prompted Russian state propagandists to argue that Putin's trip carried equal geopolitical weight to Trump's — pointing to what they described as a 'suitcase of signed documents' brought home by the Russian delegation.

However, Alexander Gabuev, a China expert and director of the Carnegie Berlin Center for Russia and Eurasia Studies, offers a more sobering assessment in an analysis published by Carnegie Politika and reproduced in full by Meduza. According to Gabuev, the documents signed during Putin's visit were largely symbolic in nature, containing little of practical consequence for the Russia-China relationship.

## Power of Siberia 2 goes nowhere

The central item on Putin's agenda was advancing the Power of Siberia 2 mega-project — a planned natural gas pipeline that would carry Russian gas through Mongolia into China. Moscow has long viewed the pipeline as a critical economic lifeline, especially as European markets have been effectively closed off following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has been pushing for a deal for years, but Beijing has shown little urgency, aware that its negotiating leverage only grows over time.

Gabuev explains that China has little incentive to lock itself into a long-term pipeline deal on terms favourable to Russia, particularly when global LNG markets are softening and China has multiple alternative suppliers. Beijing can afford to wait — and appears to be doing exactly that. No meaningful progress on Power of Siberia 2 was announced during Putin's visit, despite the fanfare surrounding the signed agreements.

## Symbolism over substance

The visit underscores a broader dynamic in the Russia-China relationship: while Moscow increasingly depends on Beijing for economic and political support amid Western sanctions, China has been careful not to overcommit. The signed documents, Gabuev argues, reflect the optics of partnership rather than its depth. For Putin, the trip served a domestic messaging purpose — projecting the image of Russia as a globally relevant power with powerful friends — but delivered little in terms of concrete deliverables that could ease Russia's mounting economic pressures.