The doors of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing have opened once again for Vladimir Putin this Wednesday. The red carpet laid out in front of Tiananmen Square, the perfectly aligned honor guard, and the military band playing national anthems are part of a meticulously rehearsed choreography, the same that welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump last week during his visit to the Chinese capital.
Xi Jinping and Putin have publicly displayed their "limitless" partnership, as they defined it shortly before the Russian leader launched the invasion of Ukraine. For Xi, receiving Putin just a few days after bidding farewell to Trump with all honors represents a demonstration of diplomatic balance; the ability to engage with Washington on equal terms while still holding hands with Moscow.
In Beijing's power circles, the sequence of state visits is interpreted as a validation of the narrative that Xi has been building for years: China's rise towards an international order conditioned by alternative power centers where the Asian giant acts as an indispensable arbiter. Therefore, the image of Trump and Putin parading through the Great Hall of the People within a five-day span, a symbol of the power of the Communist Party, holds immense value.
Xi and Putin signed a declaration on strengthening their strategic ties (including military and technological aspects) and closed more than twenty commercial and energy agreements. The Chinese president opened the meeting by referring to an idea that Beijing has been cultivating for years: the relationship with Moscow is not a temporary alliance marked by tensions with the West, but a long-term strategic friendship. Xi stated that decades of cooperation had further tightened the bonds between both powers and advocated for deepening a "comprehensive strategic cooperation of higher quality" to promote the development and national revitalization of both countries.
The Chinese leader once again used a formula reserved for very few foreign leaders when addressing Putin as "dear friend," a treatment laden with symbolism in Chinese diplomacy. "You and I have felt a close relationship, which has determined the deep and fruitful relationship between China and Russia," he said, suggesting that the personal chemistry between them -having met more than 40 times- has been one of the pillars of a partnership that has strengthened as tensions with Washington have escalated.
Putin responded by quoting a Chinese proverb - "We have not seen each other in a day, but it seems like three autumns have passed" - before expressing his joy at meeting Xi again to "align positions once more." The Russian president praised a bilateral relationship that he described as being at an "unprecedented level."
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Putin implicitly denounced Western hegemony. "We defend respect for the sovereign development of states and aspire to build a more just democratic world order," he stated. This is a discourse that Moscow and Beijing increasingly share in international forums, presenting institutions like BRICS or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as counterweights to U.S. leadership.
Putin also emphasized that Russia remains a "reliable supplier" of energy despite international instability. "Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable resource provider, and China as a responsible consumer," he said, indirectly referring to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and the growing importance for Beijing of land-based energy routes from Russia.
The Russian leader's words come as both countries engage in crucial negotiations regarding the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, a project aimed at transporting up to 50 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to China, which Moscow considers essential to replace some of the lost exports to Europe.
However, Beijing negotiates from a position of strength. China needs to diversify its land-based energy supplies, especially after recent instability in the Middle East and disruptions around the Hormuz Strait highlighted the vulnerability of maritime routes. Yet, each delay increases China's bargaining power over an increasingly dependent Russia.
Although bilateral trade weakened last year due to falling oil prices, Russian exports to China have nearly doubled since the start of the conflict. For Russia, China has become not only an essential energy buyer but also a technological and financial lifeline. Following Western sanctions and the expulsion of Russian banks from the SWIFT system, Moscow, along with Beijing, accelerated the so-called de-dollarization. By the end of last year, according to the Russian Ministry of Finance, over 99% of bilateral trade was already settled in yuan and rubles.
Xi and Putin have also built a very close personal and political relationship. The "limitless partnership" they signed during the 2022 Winter Olympics did not speak of a formal military alliance but rather of cooperation without "forbidden areas," based on a shared vision: challenging U.S. hegemony and promoting an alternative international order led by authoritarian powers.
The war in Ukraine immediately tested that strengthened alliance. China never explicitly supported the invasion (official Chinese language still refers to it as the "Ukraine crisis"), but neither did it condemn Moscow. The U.S. and Europe have accused the Chinese government of supplying Putin's regime with dual-use technologies necessary to fuel the Kremlin's "war machine," something Chinese authorities deny. Chinese officials argue that their support has always been carefully calibrated. Xi has tried to prevent the relationship with Putin from dragging China into open confrontation with Washington or Brussels.
During the meeting, Putin once again emphasized coordination with China within multilateral platforms like BRICS. "The complex process of forming a multipolar world based on a balance of interests among all its participants is underway," he stated. For Moscow, this transition to a less Western-dominated international system is one of the main political arguments to justify deepening its relationship with Beijing.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, both leaders also agreed to extend the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation signed a quarter of a century ago, considered one of the legal pillars of the modern bilateral relationship. Xi stated that the agreement laid the foundation for a lasting friendship and comprehensive strategic coordination, warning that the international scenario is undergoing profound changes with the risk of reverting to the "law of the jungle," an expression frequently used by Chinese diplomacy to criticize unilateralism and bloc politics.
In this context, Xi argued that the relevance of the treaty has become even more evident and promised to work with Russia to strengthen "equal-to-equal" strategic coordination. The formula is significant as many analysts observe a growing asymmetry between the two partners: a China transformed into an indispensable power and a Russia increasingly in need of markets, financing, and political support.