• Beijing and Moscow continuously deepened mutual trust: Xi.
• Putin says relations reached “unprecedentedly high level”.
• Xi warns of “unilateral countercurrents running rampant”.

President Xi Jinping hailed China and Russia’s “unyielding” ties in talks with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, as the pair met to underscore their alliance days after Donald Trump’s visit to the Asian superpower economy.

After the US president was received with pomp last week but left without major breakthroughs, including on help with reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Putin’s visit will be scrutinised for tangible takeaways.

Putin is, however, weakened by years of Russia’s war on Ukraine, as sanctions by Western powers put the squeeze on energy revenues and increased Moscow’s dependence on China, the main buyer of Russian oil.

The US war on Iran has however hampered crude and gas flows, giving an opportunity to Putin to offer Russian energy sources as an alternative.

Analysts believe that Putin could use the visit to push for progress on the major “Power of Siberia 2” natural gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia — a land alternative to crude imported by sea from the Middle East.

Opening talks in Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People, Putin and Xi were quick to laud their countries’ special ties as they extended their treaty of “friendly cooperation”.

Beijing and Moscow have “continuously deepened our political mutual trust and strategic coordination with a resilience that remains unyielding”, Xi told the Russian leader, according to Chinese state media.

Putin, meanwhile, told Xi relations had reached and “unprecedentedly high level” despite “unfavourable external factors”, without naming any third country, video from Russian media showed.

Xi warned of “unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents running rampant”, in a veiled swipe at the United States.

‘Old friend’

Xi has played host to a series of world leaders as an increasingly unpredictable United States under Trump pushed many to shore up alliances with Beijing, and the war in Iran has further accelerated the trend.

Russia-China ties have deepened since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since as his country is shunned by Western powers.

Putin’s visit promises to be less opulent than Trump’s, emphasising that “the Xi-Putin relationship does not require that kind of performative reassurance”, said Patricia Kim from the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Xi welcomed Putin with open arms as an “old friend” when he last visited Beijing in September 2025 — language the Chinese leader did not extend to Trump last week.

Both Putin and Xi view ties as “structurally stronger and more stable” than those between China and the United States, she told AFP.

Beijing has regularly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia for sending in troops, presenting itself instead as a neutral party.

But with Russia reliant on sales to China to sustain its war effort, “Putin does not want to lose that support”, Asia Societys Lyle Morris told AFP.

Middle East priorities

When it comes to the US-Israeli war on Iran, though, China and Russia may have different priorities.

Russia has sought to capitalise on the energy crisis and rocketing oil prices spurred by the closure of the Hormuz strait.

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov had said after meeting Xi in April that Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as the Middle East war hits global supplies.

China, however, wants the Middle East conflict concluded as soon as possible.

Xi underlined in talks with Putin that further hostilities in the Middle East is “inadvisable” as he said a “comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency”.

“(China) relies on the freedom of the world´s major waterways to sustain its economic activities, and would prefer that the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz end sooner rather than later,” James Char of Singapore´s Nanyang Technological University told AFP.

• Putin seeks stronger Chinese support after Trump’s Beijing visit.
• Xi, Putin expected to discuss “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline.
• Kremlin says leaders to discuss regional, global developments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing late on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart and “long-time good friend” Xi Jinping, intending to show their ties are unshakeable days after a visit by Donald Trump.

The confirmation of Putin’s trip came just hours after Trump wrapped up his visit on Friday, the first to China by a US president in nearly a decade and one aimed at stabilising their turbulent relations.

Putin arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport around 11:15pm (1515 GMT) on Tuesday, where he was greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a military band.

It was a near-mirror image of Trump’s arrival days earlier, with both leaders stepping out of their planes onto a red carpet as Chinese youths chanted “welcome, welcome” — this time, waving Russian flags instead of American.

Putin and Xi are set to discuss how to strengthen Russia and China’s strategic partnership and “exchange views on key international and regional issues”, according to a Kremlin statement.

Their ties have deepened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since as his country is cut off diplomatically on the world stage.

However, their relationship is far from equal, with Moscow heavily dependent economically on Beijing, the main buyer of sanctioned Russian oil.

Among topics Xi and Putin could discuss is the construction of the major “Power of Siberia 2” natural gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia — a land alternative to crude imported by sea from the Middle East — which Moscow is keen to get underway.

Setting a warm tone for the visit, Xi and Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday to mark 30 years of their countries’ strategic partnership.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun lauded “the enduring friendship between China and Russia” on Tuesday.

And in a video message to the Chinese people released on Tuesday, Putin said relations have reached “a truly unprecedented level”, and that “trade between Russia and China continues to grow”.

“The close strategic relationship between Russia and China plays a major, stabilising role globally. Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity,” Putin said, without mentioning any third country.

The two leaders are also expected to sign a joint declaration after their talks.

‘Dear, old friends’

Xi welcomed Putin with open arms as an “old friend” when he last visited Beijing in September 2025 — language the Chinese leader did not extend to Trump last week.

Putin, who in turn called Xi his “dear friend”, will be keen to show the world that their relations are unaffected by Trump’s visit.

While Putin’s visit is not expected to receive the same pomp as Trump’s, “the Xi-Putin relationship does not require that kind of performative reassurance”, said Patricia Kim from the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Both sides view ties as “structurally stronger and more stable” than those between China and the United States, she said.

Beijing has regularly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia for sending in troops, presenting itself instead as a neutral party.

Trump and Xi discussed Ukraine last week, but the US president left China without a breakthrough.

“Xi will almost certainly brief Putin on his summit with Trump,” Kim said.

The lack of clear outcomes from the Xi-Trump meeting, though, “likely reassures Moscow that Xi did not strike any understanding with Trump that would materially undercut Russian interests”.

Appetite for oil

Putin will be hoping for China to deepen its commitment to Moscow, after Trump told Fox News during his visit that Beijing had agreed to buy US oil to feed its “insatiable” appetite for energy.

With Russia reliant on sales to China to sustain its war effort, “Putin does not want to lose that support”, Asia Society’s Lyle Morris told AFP.

“Putin will likely be keen to hear from Xi about China’s next step in the Middle East,” Morris said, after “Trump signalled clearly that he hopes Beijing will play a leading role”.

When it comes to the US-Israeli war on Iran, though, China and Russia may have different priorities.

“(China) relies on the freedom of the world’s major waterways to sustain its economic activities, and would prefer that the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz end sooner rather than later,” James Char of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University told AFP.

On the other hand, Moscow has “been benefitting economically from the fighting in Iran due to the relaxation of sanctions against Russian energy supplies, so may have a different view”, he said.

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov said after meeting Xi in April that Russia could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as the Middle East war hits global supplies.

“Expanded energy ties may feature prominently at the meeting (as) Beijing seeks more Russian energy,” said Joseph Webster from the Atlantic Council.

“From Moscow’s perspective, shipping more oil east may be more attractive in the wake of Ukraine’s relentless campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure.”

Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs has rejected any notion of surrender, saying the Islamic Republic is united and decisively ready to confront any military aggression.

Kazem Gharibabadi was responding to recent statements from US President Donald Trump about a “temporary” halt to attacks on Iran to give diplomacy a chance.

“The United States says it has ‘temporarily’ stopped the attacks on Iran to give negotiations a chance, but at the same time speaks of readiness for a massive offensive at any moment. This means calling ‘threat’ a ‘peace opportunity’,” he said.

“Iran stands united and decisively ready to confront any military aggression. For us, surrender has no meaning; either we win, or we become martyrs.”

The Iranian diplomat invoked the words of Martyr Rajab Beigi: “We are a great nation, record our name in history; among all colors we have chosen red, and among all deaths we have chosen martyrdom.”

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched their illegal, unprovoked war of aggression against Iran. They assassinated Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking officials.

The United States and Israel struck civilian sites across Iran, including nuclear facilities, schools, and hospitals.

Iran responded with at least 100 waves of decisive retaliatory strikes under Operation True Promise 4.

A Pakistan‑brokered ceasefire has been in place since early April, but a US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains.

Tehran has vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the blockade is lifted and the war permanently ends.

Peace talks have stalled after Washington rejected Iran’s counterproposal, which demands war compensation, the lifting of all sanctions, and respect for Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait.

Iranian officials maintain that any negotiation must be based on mutual respect, rather than threats or diktats.