On May 20, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin on an official visit, during which the two sides signed dozens of cooperation documents and described bilateral relations as having entered a “new stage”.
The meeting took place just a few days after U.S. President Donald Trump visited China, which, according to international media assessments, allowed Beijing and Moscow to once again demonstrate a unified political stance toward the West. This reflects China’s strategy of maintaining strategic ties with Russia while simultaneously managing its relationship with Washington.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, China and Russia reaffirmed their support for a “multipolar world order”. According to official statements, the sides paid particular attention to strengthening cooperation in the fields of the economy, energy, technology, science, education, and media.
Xi Jinping described bilateral relations as being at a “historically highest level”, while Putin stated that China-Russia cooperation is developing steadily “under conditions of external pressure”. Both leaders criticized “unilateralism” and “hegemonic approaches” in international politics. This rhetoric has been frequently used by Beijing and Moscow in recent years when assessing Western, particularly U.S., policies.
International security issues were also discussed at the summit, including the war in Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and growing competition in the Asia-Pacific region. China reiterated that conflicts should be resolved through “dialogue and political negotiations”.
One of the key topics of the meeting was energy cooperation. Russia is attempting to expand its lost positions in European markets toward China. In this context, the strategically important “Power of Siberia 2” project aims to transport 50 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to China from the Yamal fields via Mongolia.
However, despite high expectations, the sides once again failed to reach a final agreement at the Beijing summit. According to the Kremlin, there is agreement on the “main aspects” of the project, but several details still need to be finalized. International media reports that disagreements relate to gas pricing, financing, and long-term contractual terms.
Western media note that relations between Beijing and Moscow are asymmetrical. After the war in Ukraine and amid Western sanctions and the loss of European markets, Russia’s economic dependence on China has significantly increased, giving Beijing additional leverage. China is taking advantage of this and seeks to secure Russian energy resources under the most favorable conditions. At the same time, China is trying to manage cooperation with Russia in a way that does not fully damage its own economic relations with the West.
This situation shows that despite strategic and political rapprochement, relations between Beijing and Moscow are still clearly based on pragmatic economic interests, where both sides seek to maximize protection of their own conditions.
