Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at an official reception in Moscow. Xi's visit in May 2025 underscored the special nature of China-Russia relations.
Political objectives of the visit and agenda of the talks
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia on May 7–10, 2025 was timed to coincide with the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II and became one of the key events on the bilateral agenda. The main political goals were to demonstrate a strong partnership in the face of the West and coordinate positions on global issues. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the summit will cover "the widest agenda of bilateral and international issues," and the leaders will sign a solid package of cooperation documents in a variety of areas. The Chinese side stressed before the visit that the meeting will deepen mutual political trust and enrich strategic cooperation between the two countries.
According to the Kremlin, during the meetings on May 8, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin planned to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and relations with Washington. Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the heads of state will pay special attention to these topics at the tete-a-tete meeting: they will talk about the Ukrainian settlement and the state of Russian contacts with the United States. the leaders will consider the development of a comprehensive partnership between Moscow and Beijing, issues of strategic cooperation, as well as topical regional issues. The symbolic context of the visit – joint participation in the celebration of Victory Day – emphasised the unity of the positions of Russia and China in preserving the historical truth about World War II. On the eve of the talks, Xi Jinping called for joint resistance to attempts to "cause discord" between Moscow and Beijing and stressed the "stabilizing role of the Sino-Russian link in promoting a multipolar world." Thus, the political purpose of the visit was to strengthen the spirit of alliance and coordinate the actions of the two powers on the world stage to counter the hegemony of individual states.
Economic Arrangements and Agreements
Xi Jinping arrived with an impressive delegation, and the parties prepared a package of intergovernmental agreements in the trade and economic sphere. Moscow and Beijing reaffirmed their desire to increase trade and deepen investment cooperation. President Putin noted that China already firmly occupies the place of Russia's leading trading partner (trade in 2024 approached $200 billion), And now the goal is to surpass this milestone. During the visit, the parties "agreed to establish comprehensive planning in trade," expanding mutual access to goods and services. This is designed to give an additional impetus to the socio-economic development of both countries.
According to Bloomberg, the long-standing topic of the construction of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline was brought up for negotiations. Previously, this project was stalled due to disagreements over the price, route and timing, but now the parties decided to resume discussions. Moscow is interested in the speedy implementation of the Power of Siberia-2, which will redirect up to 50 billion m³ of gas per year to Asia and compensate for the loss of the European market. The largest energy importer also sees benefits in cheaper pipeline gas instead of expensive LNG. According to sources, Beijing may meet halfway and agree to a higher price of Russian gas than previously assumed in order to get the project off the ground. At the same time, China insists on a direct route of the gas pipeline (bypassing Mongolia), which requires additional negotiations, taking into account the interests of Mongolia. In addition to gas, they discussed the increase in the supply of Russian oil and coal to China and the participation of Chinese companies in the production projects of the Russian Federation (these areas have already grown significantly in recent years).
The two sides have also signed a number of other agreements in the field of technology and investment. According to China Daily, China and Russia have achieved notable success in cooperation in the automotive, electrical and agricultural sectors and are now experiencing a "strong impetus for cooperation in new areas". During the visit, memorandums of cooperation were signed in high-tech sectors – from communications to green energy – with an emphasis on joint innovation. According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the first task of bilateral cooperation in the new world is to "strengthen the foundations in the trade, economic and energy fields, unleash the potential of technological innovation and green development," creating new growth drivers. In line with this strategy, the parties agreed to stimulate joint projects in the field of renewable energy, peaceful nuclear energy, as well as to develop industrial cooperation (for example, the opening of assembly plants in the Chinese auto and electronics in the Russian Federation). The deepening of financial cooperation will also continue - the expansion of settlements in national currencies and the mutual connection of banking systems in order to protect trade from external sanctions risks.
For clarity, below is a table with the key agreements reached during the visit (on the main areas of cooperation):
Scope of cooperation
Key agreements (May 2025)
Power engineering
• The Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline is an agreement to resume negotiations on the project and resolve disagreements on the route and prices. The project will allow the Russian Federation to supply ~50 billion m³ of gas to China annually, diversifying markets, and the PRC will reduce LNG imports. • Oil and coal – agreements to increase the export of Russian oil and coal to China on preferential terms (within the framework of long-term contracts between Rosneft/Gazprom and CNPC/CNOOC). • Peaceful atom – a memorandum on expanding cooperation in nuclear energy (construction of new nuclear power units in China with the participation of Rosatom, joint projects in reactor technologies).
Trade and finance
• Growth in trade – the goal of exceeding $200 billion in bilateral trade in 2025 and reaching new records has been confirmed. • A mechanism of "comprehensive trade planning" is being created to balance the structure of trade. • National currencies – an agreement to increase the share of settlements in rubles and yuan (already more than 70% in 2024) with the prospect of increasing it to 80-85%, which reduces dependence on the dollar. • Investments and finance – agreements on mutual protection of investments and credit lines from Chinese banks for projects in the Russian Federation, as well as on expanding the use of the Chinese payment system CIPS and Mir/UnionPay cards in both countries.
Technology & Industry
• High technologies – a memorandum of cooperation in the field of microelectronics, telecommunications (5G development) and artificial intelligence. Chinese companies will help the Russian Federation replace Western software and equipment, while the Russian Federation will share competencies in the nuclear industry and space. • Industrial cooperation – agreements on the localization of the production of Chinese vehicles, electronics and engineering equipment in Russia (the creation of new assembly plants with investments from the PRC). • Agricultural sector – agreements to increase the export of Russian grain, oil and meat to the Chinese market, joint projects of agro-technoparks and food security.
Infrastructure and logistics
• Connection of initiatives – a joint statement on the alignment of the Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road" with the Eurasian Economic Union. The implementation of infrastructure projects connecting China with Europe through transit through the Russian Federation and Central Asia was agreed. • Transport corridors – support for projects of international transport routes (the Northern Sea Route, the railway corridor through Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation). participation in the modernization of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline. • Regional cooperation – agreements between the provinces of China and the regions of the Russian Federation on the creation of trade and logistics hubs, simplification of customs procedures and the development of cross-border trade.
Note: The signing of most of the above agreements was officially confirmed or announced during the visit. Some major projects (for example, the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline) are still at the stage of negotiations without a final contract, but the very fact of their inclusion on the agenda indicates the strategic intentions of the parties.
Joint Statements and Key Messages
Following the talks on May 8, the leaders of the two countries adopted two joint policy statements. The first, the Joint Statement on Deepening Relations of Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation That Have Entered a New Era, is timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II and is based on the common memory of the war. post-war world order. The parties confirmed that they would "together preserve history, honor the memory of fallen heroes, promote a reliable view of the history of World War II," countering attempts to falsify it. In addition, Russia and China declared their commitment to the idea of a multipolar world, in which the domination of one power is unacceptable. "We must resolutely oppose all forms of hegemony and power politics and jointly create a better future for humanity" – this message was one of the main leitmotifs of the meeting.
The leaders reaffirmed that a nuclear war is unacceptable and cannot be won, called on all powers to comply with the non-proliferation regime of weapons of mass destruction and opposed the deployment of weapons in outer space (these theses echo previous statements by the Russian Federation and China). unilateral sanctions and attempts to use economic and military levers to blackmail sovereign states. Putin and Xi stressed the need to reform the global security architecture based on the principles of equal and indivisible security for all. In fact, this statement reflects the consolidated position of the two powers on key challenges: against missile defense and intermediate-range missiles of the United States, against the expansion of military blocs (an allusion to NATO and AUKUS) and for an arms control dialogue with the participation of all nuclear powers.
In joint statements for the press and following the talks, the leaders exchanged friendly rhetorical messages. Vladimir Putin thanked Xi Jinping for his visit during the Victory Day and called China a true friend and ally of Russia. In response, Xi Jinping noted that "our state interests coincide" and the friendship of the two peoples "is not subject to external pressure". He stressed the importance of the lessons of war for modern challenges and linked the past with the present: the joint victory over fascism 80 years ago laid the foundation for the current strategic partnership. Both leaders made it clear that Russia's external contacts with the United States did not affect the close ties between Moscow and Beijing. There were assurances that cooperation was not directed against third countries, but in the subtext many messages were read as a signal to the West. For example, Putin and Xi declared their rejection of "a narrow group of states that impose their interests on all others," clearly meaning Western countries. In general, the press conference demonstrated the unity of positions: the leaders spoke of their intention to continue coordinating foreign policy efforts, acting as a united front at the UN and other organizations, and promoting the ideas of peaceful settlement of conflicts through dialogue. China's so-called "peace plan" as a basis for negotiations, stressing that Beijing proceeds from the need to respect the sovereignty of all parties and take into account the legitimate security interests of each country. Although no direct progress was made on Ukraine, the symbolic gesture was important: the presence of the Chinese leader in Moscow itself conveyed the image of China as a peacemaker, but supporting Russia.
A separate topic was the gratitude of the Russian leadership to the Chinese guests for participating in the Victory Parade on May 9. Xi Jinping was the guest of honor on Red Square, and the Chinese company of the Guard of Honor marched together with the Russian troops. This gesture was presented as a sign of the "indestructible unity of the two countries", which jointly paid tribute to the memory of the heroes of the war. Thus, the key public messages of the visit boiled down to the statement: Russia and China are close friends and strategic partners whose cooperation is based on a common history and common views on the future world order, and no external forces can destroy their unity.
Response of the international community
The international community reacted attentively to Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, seeing it as a serious geopolitical signal. Many regarded the appearance of the Chinese leader next to Putin on the rostrum on May 9 as a demonstration of the de facto alliance between Beijing and Moscow as a counterbalance to the West.
The United States expressed concern about the strengthening of the Russian-Chinese link. American analysts noted that Xi's visit is aimed at weakening the global role of the United States. According to Bloomberg, Putin and Xi discussed the coordination of actions to overcome US hegemony and build a more balanced multipolar world. that the Donald Trump administration has taken a hard line in trade disputes with China), experts drew attention to the fact that Moscow and Beijing openly position themselves against American leadership. The U.S. press described the visit as an alliance of autocracies that could destabilize the balance of power. Some commentators compared the current situation to the Cold War period, when the rapprochement between China and the USSR dramatically changed the landscape for the United States compared to America's power, but at the same time again threatened Beijing with continued trade pressure. Thus, at the level of rhetoric, the United States is trying not to dramatize the visit, but strategic concern about the strengthening of the Moscow-Beijing bloc is obvious.
The European Union also closely followed Xi's trip. Brussels perceived the participation of the Chinese leaders in the parade as an inconvenient signal for Europe, which is trying to build a dialogue with Beijing. The New York Times noted that the presence of Xi Jinping next to Putin will complicate China's attempts to improve relations with Europe. European leaders are concerned: the demonstration of a close alliance between China and the Russian Federation against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine causes a negative reaction. Officially, the European Commission reacted with restraint. EC spokesman Anwar al-Anuni said that Brussels "took note" of Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow. At the same time, the EU recalled the importance of cooperation with China on global challenges and the 50th anniversary of EU-PRC diplomatic relations, trying to balance criticism with dialogue. thus, a number of MEPs called China's behavior duplicitous - Beijing declares neutrality, but actually supports Russia. In response, official Beijing assured that its contacts with Moscow are not directed against Europe. Nevertheless, according to analysts, a clear demonstration of friendship with Putin will make it difficult for China to implement a strategy of "divide and rule" in relation to Europe - it will now be more difficult to get closer to individual European capitals, tearing them away from the common Western line on Ukraine.
A particularly sharp reaction from the neighboring countries of Russia and China followed from Ukraine and a number of East Asian states.
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Ukraine: Kyiv sharply condemned Xi Jinping's visit. Ukrainian authorities regarded the presence of the Chinese leader at the parade and negotiations as unequivocal support for the aggressor. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the participation of any foreign delegations in the Moscow parade would be considered as "support for Russia." President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly warned that Ukraine could not guarantee security foreign leaders arriving in Moscow on May 9. In fact, this sounded like a veiled warning about the potential missile danger during the war. The Kremlin called such words an unacceptable threat. In response, Moscow stressed that security measures have been unprecedentedly strengthened, and Kiev's attempts to disrupt international contacts have failed. For Ukraine, Xi's visit was a worrying signal: diplomatic efforts to isolate Moscow have cracked, and Beijing, which has a veto in the UN Security Council, is even more inclined to side with Russia. The Ukrainian press wrote with concern that China had actually chosen the camp of Moscow. At the same time, Kyiv tried to work with the Chinese side: immediately after the announcement of the visit, Zelensky again called on Xi Jinping to hold telephone conversations to explain to him the Ukrainian "peace formula". Nevertheless, there were no public contacts between Kyiv and Beijing these days, which showed China's cooling of Ukrainian initiatives.
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Belarus and post-Soviet allies: Russia's neighbors and closest allies in the CSTO and the EAEU, on the contrary, reacted positively to Xi's visit. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko welcomed the strengthening of cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, calling China a strategic partner "#1" for Minsk. Belarusian officials noted that a close alliance between Russia and China is also beneficial to their country, as it creates a counterbalance to Western pressure on Minsk. Xi and other leaders, demonstrating the unity of allies. The heads of the Central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.) refrained from loud statements, but also sent delegations to Moscow. For many of them, partnership with China is the key to investment and transit, so they perceived the visit as strengthening regional stability. At the same time, some privately expressed caution lest the balance of power between Russia and China escalate into their own weakening of influence in Central Asia. Nevertheless, not a single neighboring country (except Ukraine) officially protested.
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China's neighbors in Asia: States that have difficult relations with Beijing have been wary of the strengthening of the Sino-Russian tandem. India, traditionally friendly to Moscow, but competing with Beijing, closely followed the signals from Moscow. Indian experts noted that the rapprochement between Russia and China could in the future reduce India's ability to rely on Russia as a counterbalance to the PRC. New Delhi officially remained silent, limiting itself to statements about the continuing neutral position on Ukraine, but in diplomatic circles expressed the hope that Moscow would not fully support relations with India to the detriment of relations with India Chinese position in Asian disputes. Japan and South Korea , U.S. allies in Asia, have also expressed concern behind the scenes. Japanese media have pointed out that Xi's appearance next to Putin confirms the formation of a "Beijing-Moscow axis," which potentially increases pressure on Japan in East Asia (given the joint Russian-Chinese military exercises in the Pacific Ocean that have already taken place earlier). to provide military assistance to Moscow. Beijing rejected such parting words, saying that China independently determines its foreign policy. In general, for many of China's neighbors (India, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines), China's apparent strengthening of ties with a sanctions-weakened Russia has been an unwelcome development, although publicly they are cautious not to spoil relations with either Beijing or Moscow.
As a result, the international reaction to Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow was divided. The West (the United States, the EU, and their allies) perceived it with alarm and criticism, considering it a confirmation of the formation of bloc diplomacy "East against West". Direct neighbors of the Russian Federation and China reacted in accordance with their interests: the allies supported, the opponents condemned, and the neutrals expressed a wary silence. where China and Russia are increasingly acting as a united front, and the rest of the players are forced to take this bundle into account in their foreign policy.
Significance of the visit for Russian-Chinese relations
Xi Jinping's visit in May 2025 was a historic stage in the development of bilateral relations, which further strengthened the strategic partnership between Russia and China. Both states reaffirmed the course towards a comprehensive rapprochement, which is often described in the Beijing-Moscow rhetoric as friendship "without borders". laid the foundations for a new stage of partnership, expanding its content. As the Chinese Foreign Ministry noted, the consensus reached by the leaders "will further deepen the political mutual trust between China and Russia, enrich the content of their strategic cooperation and promote practical cooperation in all fields.". This means that after the visit, cooperation will take place not only at the highest level, but also through governments, regions and business – from the defence sector to humanitarian exchanges.
Strategic partnership. The visit symbolically marked the entry of relations into a "new era". This was also facilitated by the time of the celebration – the anniversary of the Victory – when historical memory was used to reinforce the current alliance. The joint celebration of veterans and fallen heroes emphasized the idea of a special mission of Moscow and Beijing: they position themselves as holders of the truth about the world war and, more broadly, as guarantors of the stability of the world order. The personal communication between Putin and Xi (this is their first meeting in 2025) strengthened the personal connection between the two leaders, which is often seen as a driver of bilateral relations. Observers note that during private conversations, they discussed the most sensitive issues, including coordination of actions in relation to the United States and NATO. Such frankness indicates a high level of trust.
Military cooperation. The visit was also of great importance for strengthening defense ties. Although military agreements were not announced directly, the presence of the Chinese military at the parade and closed negotiations of defense representatives on the sidelines of the visit indicate an increase in military coordination. Moscow and Beijing have been conducting joint exercises for several years (naval patrols in the Pacific Ocean, Vostok and Peace Mission maneuvers within the framework of the SCO). According to experts, the parties can go further - up to the exchange of military technologies and intelligence. China sees Russia as a source of combat experience and some types of weapons (e.g., aircraft engines, air defense systems), while Russia is interested in Chinese electronics and, in theory, in weapons (drones, ammunition) to meet its needs. This has not been officially announced, but the new Strategic Stability Statement lays the groundwork for closer military cooperation. Both states have agreed to work together to counter the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Asia and other U.S. steps that affect the strategic balance, which effectively implies defense policy coordination "a special responsibility to counter attempts to justify Nazism and militarism" and to defend justice in the world. This can be interpreted as a willingness to jointly oppose the resurgence of aggressive forces, a political euphemism that shows mutual support in the event of a military threat to one of them. Although there is no formal military alliance, the strengthening of political ties increases the likelihood that at a critical moment Beijing and Moscow will not stay away from each other. Other.
Economic and technological development. From a practical point of view, the visit gave a powerful impetus to economic cooperation. Sino-Russian relations now go beyond simple trade in raw materials – they are acquiring signs of comprehensive integration: from financial interdependence (settlements in yuan) to joint industrial and infrastructure projects. sanctions and give China new resources for growth. In addition, the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Union can create a huge new market from Shanghai to St. Petersburg. Wang Yi highlighted the task of "giving more impetus to global development" through the conjugation of Chinese and Eurasian projects – in fact, Moscow and Beijing intend to form alternative economic structures to Western ones.
International coordination. The results of the visit showed that Russia and China now cooperate even more closely on the global stage. The two countries confirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation in the UN, SCO, BRICS and other multilateral formats. In fact, a bilateral leadership tandem has been formed in these organizations: Moscow and Beijing agree on positions in advance and then promote them together, relying on each other in votes and initiatives. for example, in the UN Security Council, China and Russia together block undesirable resolutions, in BRICS they coordinate economic initiatives (including discussion of de-dollarization). Xi's visit confirmed that this coordination will only increase. Moreover, as Chinese expert Hao He noted, the significance of the visit goes beyond the bilateral framework and "is crucial for regional development and global governance." That is, the partnership between the Russian Federation and the PRC is considered by them as a factor capable of influencing the architecture of international relations as a whole - from security to the economy. And each such summit becomes a global event.
Summing up, Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow in May significantly strengthened the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership, bringing new meanings and agreements to it. It demonstrated to the whole world that Moscow and Beijing are united not only by the past, but also by a common vision of the future. For Russia, which is under sanctions pressure, supporting the world's second largest economy is a critical resource and a diplomatic trump card. The presence of a nuclear partner power behind it is a significant strategic rear. After the visit, we can confidently talk about the formation of a stable link between Moscow and Beijing, which both sides call the most priority foreign policy relationship. In official speeches, words about the "true friendship" between Russia and China were heard, and the events in Moscow clearly confirmed this. In the future, such a level of trust and cooperation means that any actions of each of the parties will be largely correlated with the position of the partner. Xi Jinping's visit laid a solid foundation for the further development of bilateral relations up to the format of informal alliance, and its importance will be felt in the politics, economy and security of Eurasia for many years to come.
Источники:
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Official statements of the Foreign Ministries of the Russian Federation and China (briefings by Maria Zakharova and the report of the Chinese Foreign Ministry)
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Kremlin reports on the programme of the visit (Interfax, TASS) and comments by Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov
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Joint documents of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China (titles and main theses) following the talks on May 8
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News agency materials: RIA Novosti, Interfax, TASS on the talks and signed agreements
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Articles in the leading media: Gazeta. Ru, Bloomberg, Le Figaro/InoSMI, NYT - analytical assessments of the visit and its international resonance.
