2023 visit by Xi Jinping to Russia
On 20–22 March 2023, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese president, visited Russia, in his first international meeting since his re-election as president during the 2023 National People's Congress. He met with Russian president Vladimir Putin both in official and unofficial capacity. It is also the first international meeting of Vladimir Putin since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Background 
A few weeks before Xi's visit, China issued a paper outlining its positions regarding de-escalation and political settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. The visit came just days after China won a major diplomatic victory, bringing Iran and Saudi Arabia closer together and restoring their diplomatic relations.

Hours after it was announced that Xi Jinping would visit Russia, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant to arrest Vladimir Putin.

Prior to the visit, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin published separate articles; Xi said China's proposal to end the Russo-Ukrainian War reflected world opinion. Putin said he had high hopes for the visit of his "good old friend."

Visit 
On the morning of 20 March, Xi Jinping arrived at Vnukovo Airport, Moscow. On 21 March, he met with Vladimir Putin.

During Xi Jinping's visit, Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to discuss China's initiative for ending the conflict in Ukraine, adding that he had looked at China's proposals for a resolution of the Ukraine conflict and that he viewed them with respect.

Reception 
Xi Jinping's meeting with Putin was seen as PR victory for the Russian president amidst his increasing isolation. For China, the meeting served as a symbolic gesture of Beijing's refusal to conform to American dominance. Putin and Xi called each other "dear friends" and their body language was amicable. Putin praised the plan and blamed Ukraine and the West for rejecting it, while Xi Jinping avoided mentioning the conflict, refusing to make his stance clear.

Reactions

On the same day as this event, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida visited Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and visited Bucha, the site of the 2022 massacre. Kishida also stated that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is not just a European matter, but a challenge to the rules and principles of the entire international community.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed concern about a "dangerous" China-Russian alliance.

See also
China–Russia relations
China during the Russo-Ukrainian War
List of international trips made by Xi Jinping
2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine
2023 visit by Fumio Kishida to Ukraine

References

2023 in international relations
2023 in Moscow
March 2023 events in Russia
Events affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine
China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russia
China–Russia relations