Less than a week after Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for US President Donald Trump, the Chinese leader is hosting another guest of honor — and this time it’s a close ally.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a two-day trip to Beijing next week, the Kremlin says.

China's Foreign Ministry said Vladimir Putin will visit China on May 19-20, 2026, at the invitation of Xi Jinping.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for deepening “strategic coordination and cooperation” with North Korea shortly after receiving a pomp-filled welcome to mark his first visit to the secluded nation in seven years.

Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang was the Chinese leader’s first overseas engagement this year - KCNA VIA KNS / AFP via In Kim Jong-un’s own words, North Korea has undergone a “miraculous transformation”.

Chinese president's first trip to North Korea since 2019 and also his first foreign visit this year.

The announcement of the trip came a day after North Korea unveiled a new facility to produce the material for nuclear bombs.

Xi will be in North Korea from 8-9 June, a rare visit to the isolated regime that is a longstanding ally of Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a two-day trip to Beijing next week, the Kremlin says. It comes just days after President Trump's high-profile Beijing summit.