During his upcoming trip to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek to deepen economic and military cooperation with Beijing, as well as ink new energy deals. But China's growing leverage in the relationship means such cooperation will come largely on its terms. On April 25, Putin confirmed he would visit China in May, with reports later indicating the trip could take place as soon as May 15-16, though these dates have yet to be officially confirmed and are still subject to change. The visit intends to mirror Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Russia in March 2023, where the two leaders held hours of formal and informal talks and signed numerous bilateral cooperation documents. This will be Putin's fourth in-person meeting with Xi since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and his first visit to a foreign country since his inauguration for a fifth presidential term on May...
