RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held bilateral meetings in Moscow, emphasizing the alliance between their countries as they seek to upend the US-led world order.
“Both countries are conducting an independent and autonomous foreign policy, and are interested in forming a more just and democratic, multipolar world order,” Putin said during joint statements with Xi after their talks concluded on Thursday.
China and Russia will continue to cooperate “and eliminate external interference,” Xi said.
In a joint statement on “global strategic stability” published on the Kremlin website, they warned that “a critical mass of problems and challenges has accumulated in the strategic sphere, and the risk of nuclear conflict has increased.” Nuclear powers should maintain “constructive” relations to ensure international security, according to the document that made no mention of Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine.
Xi’s four-day trip to Moscow started Wednesday and coincides with Russia’s 80th anniversary commemorations of the end of World War II, with leaders from more than 20 countries including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva due to attend. Putin said Chinese troops taking part in the May 9 military parade on Red Square would form the largest foreign contingent.
This is the first time the two leaders have met in person since US President Donald Trump unleashed his trade war. Trump’s tariffs and defense policies have rocked ties with allies from Europe to Japan, and pulled his administration away from global institutions.
That has played into China’s mission to counter the US-led world order — a task it has united with Russia over, particularly after Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ahead of the meetings, Xi had vowed that China would “resolutely defend” its interests as well as those of Russia and other developing countries.
Russia and China have “a fully fledged partnership and strategic interests,” Putin said at the start of their talks. “We are developing our ties in the interests of both our peoples and not aimed against anyone.”
The Russian leader confirmed he’d take part in a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China, in September, setting up another opportunity for the two leaders to meet in person this year.
China has provided an economic and diplomatic lifeline for Moscow following the start of the Kremlin’s war. The two leaders announced a “no limits” friendship shortly before the invasion began.
Russia and China pledged to strengthen military cooperation in their joint statement on security. Moscow is a major arms supplier to Beijing.
The leaders discussed the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project, though they didn’t talk about changing the route to avoid transit through Mongolia, Tass reported, citing Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. They gave instructions to speed up the project, he said.
Russia has been pushing to secure China’s agreement for the pipeline. Beijing has been hesitant to finalize a deal, on the grounds it isn’t in urgent need of fuel and prefers to maintain a variety of supply options, without relying on a single country.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, unprecedented Western sanctions have pushed Moscow to increase trade ties with China. Bilateral trade hit a new record of $245 billion in 2024, up 68% from 2021, according to Chinese customs data.
“Practically all Russian-Chinese foreign trade operations are carried out in rubles and yuan,” ensuring they’re “reliably protected from the influence of third countries,” Putin said, in a dig at US and European restrictions on Russian trading in the dollar and Euro. –BLOOMBERG
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