China rejects report claiming Xi told Trump that Putin may regret Ukraine invasion

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold a closely watched summit in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two leaders expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral and international issues during a series of formal and informal engagements.

The meeting comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Chinese capital, placing renewed global focus on Beijing’s diplomatic positioning amid deepening geopolitical divisions. Observers are expected to closely examine both the optics and outcomes of the Xi-Putin talks against the backdrop of Trump’s recent outreach to China.

Chinese state media has portrayed the back-to-back visits by the leaders of two major powers, both sharply at odds with one another politically, militarily and economically, as evidence of China’s growing influence in an increasingly fragmented global order.