Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have used a summit in Beijing to signal a stronger strategic partnership, with both leaders backing what they described as a more multipolar global order. According to Al Jazeera, the two sides signed a joint declaration focused on building a new type of international relations and expanding cooperation across several major sectors.
The meeting came shortly after United States President Donald Trump’s own visit to China, adding further geopolitical weight to Putin’s trip. The timing highlighted Beijing’s effort to maintain influence with both Washington and Moscow, while Russia continued to lean more heavily on China amid Western sanctions and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries would issue a joint statement supporting a multipolar world, a concept that refers to a global system where power is spread across several major countries rather than dominated by one or two. Russian officials described the declaration as a lengthy policy document, while both governments framed the agreement as a response to what they see as Western dominance in global affairs.
The Kremlin said relations between Russia and China have reached an unprecedented level and continue to grow. Chinese officials also said both sides should focus on peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. Their partnership now stretches across trade, energy, education, media, sport, and technology, showing that both countries are trying to deepen ties beyond traditional diplomacy.
Economic cooperation was one of the central themes of the summit. Moscow said the two countries signed around 40 documents covering government, agency, and corporate cooperation. Russia and China also pointed to rising trade, with Moscow saying bilateral trade reached nearly $240 billion last year, while Beijing said trade grew by 20 percent in the first four months of this year.
A major part of the economic shift is the move away from the US dollar. The Kremlin said nearly all import and export transactions between Russia and China are now being conducted in roubles and yuan. Moscow described this as a more stable trade system that is less exposed to outside pressure and global market disruptions.
Energy was another key area of discussion. Russian officials said progress had been made on the long delayed Siberia 2 pipeline, which would send large volumes of Russian gas to China through Mongolia once completed. With European markets largely reduced for Russia because of the Ukraine war, China has become an increasingly important buyer of Russian oil, gas, coal, and other energy products.
The two leaders also agreed to expand education and research links. Both governments said they would support more student exchanges, university partnerships, and scientific cooperation. The move adds a people to people dimension to a partnership that is increasingly shaped by trade, energy security, and shared opposition to a US led world order.
