Xi’s veiled – In Beijing, Xi Jinping praised China-Russia ties as a stabilizing force amid global turmoil and delivered a veiled swipe at the US, as Vladimir Putin began a roughly 24-hour state visit. Behind the red-carpet welcome—complete with gun salutes, flags, and child
Beijing’s marble-broad grandeur doesn’t usually need translation. On Wednesday morning. Vladimir Putin stepped into the Great Hall of the People to meet Xi Jinping. surrounded by the full choreography of a state visit—handshakes in a line-up of senior officials. a gun salute. a military band. and Russian and Chinese flags moving in the background like punctuation.
But the words Xi chose once the cameras turned serious landed with a different kind of weight.
Xi hailed China-Russia ties as a force of “calm amid chaos” and spoke of an international situation marked by “intertwined turbulence and transformation. ” while “unilateral hegemonic currents are running rampant.” In Beijing’s official language. that phrasing was also a pointed criticism—framed as a rejection of American foreign-policy “overreach.”.
Sitting with Putin in meetings kicking off the Russian leader’s roughly 24-hour visit to the Chinese capital. Xi told the two countries to enhance their “comprehensive strategic coordination.” He linked the message to what he called the need for China and Russia to coordinate more closely as the wider world strains.
He also turned directly to the conflict in the Middle East, addressing the US-Israeli war against Iran. Xi said that an “early end” would reduce disruption to energy supplies, supply chains and trade. He added. “A comprehensive cessation of war brooks no delay. restarting hostilities is even less desirable. and persisting with negotiations is particularly important.”.
Putin’s reception was still unmistakably ceremonial. Outside the Great Hall. the welcome carried the same familiar trappings that Beijing had used for Donald Trump last week. down to the visible choreography—leaders standing shoulder to shoulder during the gun salute. children waving flags and flowers as the two nations’ banners fluttered. The optics looked designed to underline a relationship that both capitals insist is deepening.
In opening remarks. Putin said China-Russia relations had reached an “unprecedentedly high level” and described them as among the “main stabilizing factors on the international stage.” He also referenced the close personal ties between himself and Xi. noting they have met more than 40 times. He used a Chinese idiom translating to “One day apart feels like three autumns” to emphasize the sadness of separation.
That sense of closeness matters to how the two leaders are selling the visit—especially as they head into a packed schedule that a day of meetings is expected to cover. Officials were set to focus on expanding their “no limits” partnership. with time for discussions that include Trump’s recent US-China summit. as well as the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Putin suggested areas for the agenda that go beyond politics: energy, industry, agriculture, transport, and high-tech. In the same opening remarks. he told Xi. “Amid the crisis in the Middle East. Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources. while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources.”.
The anniversary sitting behind the stage dressing is the 25th year of the 2001 “Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation,” an agreement they say resolved long-standing border frictions and ushered in a new period of cooperation.
Xi’s broader pitch has a strategic ambition attached to it. Hosting leaders of both the US and Russia within days—Trump for a landmark US-China summit and Putin now for his visit—fits Xi’s effort to cement China’s image as a global powerbroker. The message running through the pomp is also clear: China and Russia are positioning themselves as partners for a future order they describe as not dominated by the West.
Still. the ceremony could not erase the reality that Putin is arriving under heavier pressure than during his last trip to Beijing in September. The day before his current arrival. Ukraine launched what Russian media said was the largest attack on Moscow in over a year. targeting the capital with more than 500 drones. Russia has also been losing ground to Ukraine. with last month’s fighting bringing what analysts say was the first net loss of territory since August 2024.
That shifts the balance of what Xi can demand—and what Putin can deliver. The two countries have tightened coordination across trade. diplomacy and security in recent years. propelled by shared frictions with the US and by a shared goal to reshape a world order they view as unfairly dominated by the West. Yet this time, Xi faces Putin with an imbalance that is harder to paper over.
Putin is facing Xi in a “much weaker position” than during the September visit. and the reasons show up not in any single sentence from the Great Hall. but in the sequence of facts around the war. With the Russian economy heavily beholden to China. Xi may seek leverage in energy cooperation—at a moment when conflict in the Middle East is squeezing Beijing’s access to crude oil.
The visit, then, isn’t only about alliance theater. It is also about what two leaders can agree on when one side’s battlefield news is worsening and the other side’s incentives are tightening.
Xi Jinping Vladimir Putin China Russia ties Great Hall of the People US Israel war against Iran Ukraine war Trump US-China summit energy cooperation
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