Xi Welcomes ‘Dear Friend’ Putin, Showcases Russia-China Unity and Takes Veiled Swipe at US Dominance

The Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a state visit to China, meeting his counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday, when the two leaders were seen shaking hands and smiling after the conclusion of their short meeting. 

Putin, who arrived in China on Tuesday evening and was received by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, is making his 25th visit to the country. The trip is particularly significant as it comes less than a week after US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, during which Trump and Xi Jinping sought to reinforce bilateral ties, but also exchanged warnings over sensitive geopolitical issues, including Taiwan and the Strait of Hormuz.

Today’s meeting is also a celebration of a treaty signed more than two decades ago that eased historical tensions between China and Russia and laid the foundation for closer cooperation along their vast shared border. 

While Xi described ties with Russia as a force of “calm amid chaos”, Putin was welcomed with a gun salute and a military band performance, as Russian and Chinese flags fluttered in the background, a display intended to reinforce the image of a deep and enduring strategic relationship between Beijing and Moscow. 

In his opening remarks, Xi told Putin that "unilateral hegemony" is "running rampant" globally, and called on the two countries to build "a more just and equitable global governance system," hinting an indirect jibe at the US. According to Russian state news agency TASS, Putin once again referred to Xi as a "dear friend" during the visit. He said relations between Moscow and Beijing had reached an "unprecedentedly high level" and noted that bilateral trade has expanded more than thirtyfold over the past 25 years.

The relationship between the two countries is of growing strategic importance, with both seeking to project a united front against Western dominance. For Russia, which has faced years of sanctions from the United States and European countries, China has become an indispensable economic partner and a vital source of trade.

China remains Russia’s largest trading partner, purchasing nearly half of the country’s oil exports. The revenue generated from this trade is crucial for sustaining the Russian economy, financing the war effort with Ukraine and maintaining Putin’s grip on power.

Chinese state media reported that Putin described the “Russia-China partnership is exemplary” and said the discussions between the two leaders had been substantial. Xi, meanwhile, told Putin that “China and Russia relations have entered a new stage of more progress and faster development.”

Emphasising the countries’ growing alignment, Putin said Russia and China would continue to “develop [bilateral] cooperation” and “work on international platforms,” an apparent reference to multilateral forums such as the BRICS grouping, of which both nations are members.

The two countries  share a two-decade old treaty, Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation, signed in 2001 by Putin and then Chinese leader Jiang Zemin. It was last extended five years ago, and has now reportedly been extended again. It refers to peaceful relations, economic collaboration and diplomatic and geopolitical reliance between the two countries, with preconditions on military cooperation.

Speaking of West Asia on Wednesday, Jinping said that the region is at a “critical juncture” and is moving from war towards peace,  Chinese state media reported. Xi stressed that ending hostilities was “imperative” and warned that any renewed outbreak of conflict would be “unacceptable.”

Referring to his diplomatic initiative for the region, Xi said: “My four-point proposal for maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East aims to further build international consensus and contribute to easing tensions, deescalating conflict, and promoting peace,” according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Having welcomed Trump less than a week ago and now hosting Putin, China is increasingly portraying itself as a major diplomatic player, engaging with world leaders at a time of heightened international tensions and ongoing conflicts, especially with countries which are active participants in the said conflicts.