IRIA News

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Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Russia on May 8, 2024, for his four-day-long state visit. Xi’s visit has reinforced the growing strategic partnership between Beijing and Moscow, as the two nations mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.

Against the backdrop of an ongoing war in Ukraine and an increasingly polarized global order, the visit served as a powerful symbolic and diplomatic show of unity between two major powers asserting their role as counterweights to U.S. global influence.

Chinese President Xi told Putin during their meeting, “In the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying behaviour, China will work with Russia to shoulder the special responsibilities of major world powers.”

Putin responded by lauding the relationship, emphasizing their shared historical narrative and alignment against Western political narratives. “Together with our Chinese friends, we firmly stand guard over historical truth, protect the memory of the events of the war years and counteract modern manifestations of neo-Nazism and militarism,” he said.

Xi’s highest-profile visit since the beginning of Ukraine war

Xi was welcomed personally by President Vladimir Putin as he arrived in Moscow. The Chinese leader would participate in Russia’s May 9 “Victory Day” parade, a high-profile military spectacle steeped in patriotic symbolism, which underlines the deepening ties between the two nuclear-armed powers.

Chinese President Xi is the guest of honor at the Victory Day parade, among 29 other foreign leaders. The Kremlin praised Russia-China as a “genuine example” of cooperation and said they were “at their highest point.”

Victory Day has always been important for Putin, both at home and abroad. But since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and became isolated by the West, the holiday has taken on a more defiant tone. This year, the celebrations happen as the war continues to grow. A contingent of Chinese troops has also arrived in Moscow to join the parade, and leaders from countries like Belarus, Brazil, and Vietnam will also be present.

A tactical diplomatic alignment

Xi’s remarks emphasized the growing ideological and geopolitical coherence between the two countries. He noted that China and Russia would jointly defend the “correct view” of the history of WWII, protect the “authority and status” of the United Nations, and defend the “rights and interests” of China, Russia and the “vast majority of developing countries” to promote an “equal, orderly, multipolar, and inclusive economic globalization.”

The rhetoric targets the United States and its allies, which both Moscow and Beijing accuse of undermining global stability through what they call “unilateralism.”

The growing alignment also reflects mutual strategic calculations. Beijing, facing escalating trade tensions with Washington, including a recent 145% tariff hike on key Chinese exports, seeks stable partnerships. Moscow, meanwhile, needs new markets and political support amid deepening sanctions and military setbacks in Ukraine.

President Xi and President Putin also signed the Joint Statement on further deepening the China-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era on the occasion of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War and the Founding of the United Nations. Both leaders also witnessed the exchange of multiple cooperation documents between the relevant departments of the two countries.

China-Russia defense partnership

While Beijing publicly claims neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, the relationship is far from impartial. Western intelligence has highlighted the role of Chinese dual-use exports, such as microchips and machine parts, in sustaining Russia’s defense-industrial base. Last year, China and Russia reached a record bilateral trade, with China becoming Moscow’s most vital economic partner.

“The intention to build good neighborly relations, strengthen friendship and expand cooperation is a choice of Russia and the People’s Republic of China based on strategic interaction,” Putin said during Xi’s visit. He reiterated that this relationship was “not against anyone” but rooted in “equality” and “mutual benefit.”

Still, Xi’s visit raised questions in European capitals. Analysts noted that China, while entrenching ties with Russia, is also mindful of its broader diplomatic posture, especially amid signs of a shifting U.S. approach to Russia.

Beijing’s balancing act reflects strategic uncertainty. U.S. President Donald Trump has been reassessing Washington’s support for Kyiv and has made gestures that some analysts interpret as favorable to Moscow. At the same time, a recent natural resources agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine signals continued Western commitment to Kyiv’s survival.

Pipeline diplomacy

High on the visit’s agenda is the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would connect Russian gas fields in western Siberia to northern China. Disagreements over pricing and terms have long stalled the project, but analysts now believe that growing economic pressure on both countries could push them toward compromise.

The pipeline, if finalized, would further anchor the countries’ strategic alignment by linking energy supply chains and reducing Moscow’s reliance on European markets, already diminished by sanctions.

As the Kremlin continues its assault on Ukraine and tensions flare across the Taiwan Strait, China and Russia increasingly present themselves as ideological allies resisting U.S.-led global hegemony. While their partnership is far from an alliance in the formal military sense, it is built on shared grievances and converging long-term goals.

Putin echoed this, invoking the spirit of WWII collaboration, even though the Soviet Union and China did not see significant joint military action during the war: “We are developing our ties for the benefit of the peoples of both countries, and not against anyone.”

The enduring message of this state visit is clear: as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth year and China faces mounting pressure from the West, the leaders of these two powers are not only standing together, they are signaling they intend to reshape the global order, on their terms.