Kenneth Glad
A visit to Beijing is putting Russia’s energy problem in focus. Moscow wants progress on gas sales, while Beijing appears able to wait for better terms.
Vladimir Putin arrived in China today with senior ministers and leading Russian business figures, including major names from the oil and gas sector, according to TV 2, citing Reuters.
The visit is expected to focus heavily on economics. Russia needs customers for the energy exports that once flowed more easily to Europe, and China is now one of the few partners large enough to matter at that scale.
A central issue is Power of Siberia 2, the proposed gas pipeline meant to carry Russian gas into China. TV 2 reports that Moscow wants a breakthrough, but Beijing has not agreed to the price Russia wants.
That disagreement gives the visit a harder edge. The two governments often present their relationship as close and stable, but the pipeline talks show that China is not simply accepting Moscow’s terms.
Russia’s weaker hand
TV 2 correspondent Claus Borg Reinholdt said Putin’s delegation shows how much Russia wants to sell to China. He pointed to the presence of powerful figures from Russia’s energy industry as a sign that trade, not ceremony, is the core of the trip.
Mette Skak, professor emerita in political science at Aarhus University, also spoke to TV 2. She assessed that Putin is entering the talks from a weakened position because Russia needs China more than China needs Russia.
Her point was that Moscow is pressing for sales and political reassurance, while Beijing can negotiate from a stronger position. China has access to other energy suppliers and does not have to rush into a deal on Russian terms.
Europe’s reduced reliance on Russian gas has changed Moscow’s options. A major pipeline to China would help Russia redirect exports, but only if the price and conditions work for Beijing.
Public unity
Putin tried to frame the trip in much warmer terms before arriving. According to Reuters, he said that Russia and China had reached an “unprecedented level” of mutual understanding and trust.
He also said: “We do not form alliances with anyone, but work for peace and prosperity.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, writes Reuters, that Moscow has “high expectations” for the visit. He said meetings between the two leaders help add momentum to the development of Russian-Chinese relations.
That public language is important for the Kremlin. Putin wants to show that Russia is not isolated and that China remains a reliable partner at a time when Western pressure continues.
Beijing’s leverage
Charlotte Flindt Pedersen, director of the Danish Foreign Policy Society, said to the Danish broadcaster that Putin wants to confirm that Moscow’s declared partnership with Beijing remains firm after Xi Jinping’s recent talks with Trump.
That detail matters because Putin rarely leaves Russia compared with earlier periods of his rule. A trip to China signals that the relationship with Xi Jinping is important enough for direct attention.
Still, the balance is uneven. Russia is looking for export income, political backing and long-term economic security. China can offer some of that, but it can also demand favorable terms.
For Beijing, Russian energy is useful. It can strengthen supply security and give China another source of gas. But the stalled pipeline talks suggest Xi’s government is in no hurry to pay more than it wants.
What is at stake
For Putin, the visit is about more than one pipeline. Oil, gas and other natural resources help fund the Russian state and support the war economy.
If Moscow can secure stronger energy flows to China, it would ease some of the pressure created by Europe’s shift away from Russian supplies.
If the talks remain stuck, Russia’s dependence on China may become even more visible.
The trip therefore carries two messages at once. Publicly, Putin and Xi can speak about trust and partnership. Privately, the harder question is whether China will give Russia the energy deal Moscow wants.
Sources: TV 2 Denmark, Reuters
