Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two leaders hailing what Putin called an unprecedented level of relations.
Putin received a red-carpet welcome at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, where Xi described the China-Russian relationship as a stabilizing force in a turbulent world and warned against what he called a return to the “law of the jungle” in international affairs. Putin went so far as to say Russia-China relations were at an “unprecedentedly high level.”
Recommended Stories
The meeting comes less than a week after President Donald Trump concluded his own visit to Beijing, placing Xi at the center of competing relationships with two global powers.
During the visit, Xi and Putin oversaw the signing of dozens of agreements during which the Chinese president said the countries should “all unilateral bullying and actions that reverse history.”
The pair signed over 40 cooperation agreements focused on trade, technology, and media exchanges. One of the agreements extends a friendship treaty first signed in 2001.
Energy came into focus, with Russia continuing to expand oil exports to China as Moscow relies heavily on Beijing amid Western sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine. China has become Russia’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trading reaching $228 billion in 2025, according to state media reported by the Associated Press.
The leaders also discussed broader international issues, including the Middle East, with both calling for an end to fighting in the region amid concerns about disruptions to global energy markets. Xi urged de-escalation and diplomacy, while Putin cast Russia as a reliable energy supplier during a period of instability.
“An early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to energy supply stability, the smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and international trade order,” Xi said, referring to the war in Iran that has disrupted global shipping routes.
CHINA’S XI AND RUSSIA’S PUTIN TALK ENERGY, ‘LAW OF JUNGLE’ IN SUMMIT IN BEIJING
Putin said that “the current tense situation on the international stage” prompts urgency for cooperation and agreement between the two countries.
Xi also condemned “unilateralism and hegemonism,” in what seemed to be a covert reference to U.S. global action.
