Putin and Xi cast U.S. as Cold War hegemon.

Pledge to deepen partnership in defence, trade.

Say new era in Russian-Chinese ties is dawning.

Xi puts out the red carpet for Putin.

Russia advances in Ukraine.

China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Thursday pledged a "new era" of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon that was sowing chaos across the world.

Xi greeted Putin on a red carpet outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where they were hailed by marching People's Liberation Army soldiers, a 21-gun salute on Tiananmen Square and children waving the flags of China and Russia.

China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.

Xi, 70, and Putin, 71, signed a joint statement on Thursday about the "new era" that proclaimed opposition to the United States on a host of security issues and a shared view on everything from Taiwan and Ukraine to North Korea and cooperation on new peaceful nuclear technologies and finance.

"The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it," Xi told Putin.

"China is willing to ... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world."

Putin and Xi share a broad world view which sees the West as decadent and in decline just as China challenges U.S. supremacy in everything from quantum computing and synthetic biology to espionage and hard military power.

Xi and Putin believe the post-Cold War era of extraordinary U.S. dominance is crumbling after the perceived humiliations of the 1991 Soviet collapse and centuries of European colonial dominance of China.

The United States casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat, while U.S. President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies.

The U.S. views both as authoritarian rulers who have quashed free speech and exerted tight control at home over the media and the courts. Biden has referred to Xi as a "dictator" and has said Putin is a "killer" and even a "crazy SOB". Beijing and Moscow have scolded Biden for the comments.

WEST VERSUS XI AND PUTIN?

Putin's visit comes weeks after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew into China to raise concerns about what he said was China's support for Russia's military.

Blinken's China trip appears to have been an unsuccessful attempt to undermine Xi's deepening relationship with Putin.

By picking China for his first foreign trip since being sworn-in this month for another six-year term, Putin is sending a message to the world about his priorities and the strength of his personal ties with Xi.

The joint statement was described as deepening the strategic relationship and spoke specifically of how cooperation in the defence sectors between the two nations improved regional and global security and of plans to step up military ties.

It singled out the United States for particular criticism.

"The United States still thinks in terms of the Cold War and is guided by the logic of bloc confrontation, putting the security of 'narrow groups' above regional security and stability, which creates a security threat for all countries in the region," the joint statement said. "The U.S. must abandon this behaviour."

It also condemned initiatives to seize assets and property of foreign states, a clear reference to Western moves to redirect the profits from frozen Russian assets or the assets themselves to help Ukraine.

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UKRAINE

After the West imposed the most severe sanctions in modern history on Moscow due to the war in Ukraine, Putin pivoted Russia towards China.

Beijing, once the junior partner to Moscow in the global Communist hierarchy, remains by far the most powerful of Russia's friends - and its top buyer of crude.

That closeness has perturbed some in the Russian elite who fear that Russia is now too dependent on China, with which the Soviet Union came to the brink of war in 1969 over a border dispute.

Xi said both sides agreed that a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis was the "right direction" and the joint statement said both countries were opposed to a drawn out conflict.

Putin, who arrived on Thursday for a two-day visit, said he was grateful to China for trying to solve the Ukraine crisis, adding that he would brief Xi on the situation there, where Russian forces are advancing on several fronts.

Describing his initial talks with Xi as "warm and comradely", he outlined sectors where the two countries were strengthening ties, from nuclear and energy co-operation to food supplies and Chinese car manufacturing in Russia.

Informal chats between the leaders and senior officials of both sides to be held over tea and dinner later on Thursday are expected to be key to the two-day trip.

One notable absence from the Putin delegation was Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, who was holding talks with Iranian officials.

Putin and Xi will participate in a gala celebration marking 75 years since the Soviet Union recognised the People's Republic of China, which Mao Zedong declared in 1949.

It was not immediately clear if Putin would make any more stops in Asia after China.

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Putin is putting his bromance with Xi on full display — but China has reason to be wary

• Russia's President Vladimir Putin is meeting China's Xi Jinping in Beijing.

• The countries formed a "no limits" partnership in the wake of Russia's Ukraine invasion.

• But there are risks as well as rewards for China.

China's leader, Xi Jinping, rolled out the red carpet for his "old friend" Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

As he arrived at Beijing's People's Hall, the Russian president was greeted by children waving Russian flags, hundreds of soldiers, and an orchestra playing Soviet themes.

For his part, Putin lavished praise on China, whose support has been vital during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But underneath the pageantry and rhetoric, Xi is under mounting pressure over his alliance with Putin — and he has good reason to be wary of their "no limits" partnership.

The US in early May imposed new sanctions on Chinese banks and companies, accusing them of trading vital duel-use components with Russia for making weapons for its military in Ukraine.

During Xi's visit to Europe last week, Western politicians called on the Chinese leader to put Putin under more pressure to end the war in Ukraine.

There are signs that China is approaching the partnership with caution. It appears China's state media has toned down its rhetoric on Russia. According to the BBC, the term "no limits" partnership is now barely used.

Zhao Tong, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, told the BBC that China is downplaying its relationship with Putin: "While China supports the goal of undermining Western influence, it does not agree with some of Russia's tactics, including the threat of using nuclear weapons. China is acutely aware of the reputational costs of appearing to offer unconditional support to Russia and is continuously refining its strategies to enhance its perceived legitimacy on the global stage."

Graeme Thompson, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, told Business Insider that from China's perspective, the "no limits" partnership, in fact, had a clear limit — the risk of major damage to China's wealth.

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"The key limit to the 'no limits' partnership between Russia and China is that Beijing is unwilling to go so far in its support for Moscow that it would expose major Chinese firms to potential US sanctions," said Thompson, pointing out that China had not so far crossed US red lines and directly supplied Russia with weapons.

Russia, he said, needs China more than China needs Russia, relying on Beijing for crucial economic and diplomatic support as it faces increasing isolation on the global stage.

But China, Thompson said "is finding that its partnership with Russia can be a liability — especially in Europe, where Xi would love to wedge the Europeans away from the United States."

Despite the pressure, Xi also wants to show that he's not backing down, hence the lavish welcome for Putin in Beijing. The Chinese leader has long bonded with Putin over their shared ambition to end US global dominance and sees a Russian victory in Ukraine as a way of dealing a huge blow to America's power.

According to the Financial Times, trade between the two countries was $240bn last year, up 26% from a year earlier.

Joseph Torigian, an assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC., told BI that Xi has pushed back against US claims it is helping to fuel the Ukraine war — arguing its trade with Russia is entirely legitimate and that it's America that's exacerbating the conflict.

"Meeting with Putin now is Xi's way of showing that China will not bend to Western pressure," said Torigian.

Ultimately, the Chinese leader is performing a balancing act, seeking to provide Russia with incremental but vital support in Ukraine, while not severing China's ties with wealthy Western economies that its major businesses depend on.

It's a balancing act that is proving more difficult to sustain, but in the long run, Xi may believe that his bet on Putin will pay off. The war in Ukraine may be turning in Russia's favor, and there are signs in the West of fatigue setting in over helping Ukraine's war effort.

"Beijing's partnership with Moscow might not seem as strategically counterproductive in retrospect as it has appeared since February 2022," according to Ali Wyne, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, citing the date of Russia's invasion.

Five things we learned from the Xi-Putin summit

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping seemed to see eye to eye on all the major issues they discussed -

Xi Jinping hosted Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Thursday in a summit that reflected the growing bond between China and Russia. Here are the key takeaways.

They still don’t like America

Russia and China have long shared a general antipathy for the American-led post-Cold War world order.

However, seldom has it been made clearer that their current friendship is founded on a determination to challenge the US’s “hegemonic” attempts to “violate the strategic balance”.

The two leaders said in a joint statement: “The United States still thinks in terms of the Cold War and is guided by the logic of bloc confrontation, putting the security of ‘narrow groups’ above regional security and stability, which creates a security threat for all countries in the region.

“The US must abandon this behaviour.”

Their complaints were not confined to generalities.

They listed America’s global missile defence systems, its development of high-precision non-nuclear weapons, “extended nuclear deterrence” covering its allies, and deployment of intermediate and shorter-range weapons to its allies in Europe and the Pacific among their grievances.

Moscow and Beijing have plenty of things to disagree on, and one day those tensions will surface. But for now, they see themselves very much in the same geopolitical camp.

War remains a key focus

Putin and Mr Xi spoke a lot about “peace and stability.”

But a look at the agenda of the talks, and the officials in attendance, suggests defence, security, and military ties were central topics.

Putin was accompanied by Andrei Belousov, his new defence minister. Sergei Shoigu, the former defence minister, who was promoted to head of the National Security Council a few days ago, sat by his side across the table from Mr Xi and his officials.

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The two sides said they would undertake expanded joint military drills, but did not give details about what they would look like.

Joint war games involving air, land and naval forces in the past two years have already been flagged by the Pentagon as an alarming development.

They back each other on Ukraine and Taiwan

Back in 2022, Mr Xi issued a veiled rebuke to Putin for threatening to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

It was an intervention that raised hopes in the West that Beijing might be pragmatic enough to pressure Moscow into ending the war altogether.

But there was no sign of divisions on this trip.

Russia reaffirmed “its commitment to the principle of ‘one China’, recognises that Taiwan is an integral part of China, opposes the independence of Taiwan in any form, and firmly supports the actions of the Chinese side to protect its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to unify the country.”

China did not exactly endorse the invasion of Ukraine, but Putin, in an interview with Xinhua, praised Chinese efforts to resolve the conflict, referring to a vague 12-point peace plan put forward by Beijing last year.

The joint statement also made clear that “the Russian side positively assesses China’s objective and unbiased position on the Ukrainian issue.”

The message for Ukraine and the West is clear: give up any hope of using China to pressure Russia to stop the war.

Sergei Shoigu is still in favour

Mr Shoigu’s presence signifies that his removal from the ministry of defence last week was in no way a demotion.

He remains one of Putin’s right-hand men and, despite breathless predictions to the contrary, he is not being used as a scapegoat for everything that has gone wrong with the war in Ukraine.

Mr Shoigu has been in close contact with China’s relatively new defence minister, Dong Jun, who was appointed in the New Year.

The reshuffle and the trip to China could be related.

Putin may have been seeking to demonstrate a willingness to address dysfunction in the defence ministry in order to persuade Mr Xi to offer more backing for the war.

Money talks

Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of Russia’s Central bank, Anton Siluanov, the finance minister, and Maxim Oreshkin, Putin’s senior economics adviser, were also in attendance.

Trade between Russia and China has leapt since the start of the invasion of Ukraine as Russian businesses sought alternatives to Western suppliers blocked by sanctions.

The joint memorandum spoke about expanding deals in agriculture, heavy industry including ship and civil aviation construction, and IT. One deal signed involved Jerusalem artichokes.

The heads of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear power monopoly, and Roscosmos, its space agency, were also in attendance.

Selling services in space exploration and nuclear technology, fuel and reactors is not only lucrative, but also helps create a long-term interdependence that can be leveraged into alliances.

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One notable absence was Alexei Miller, the head of Gazprom – perhaps a sign that disagreements over a proposed new pipeline to sell gas to China have still not been resolved.

In talks with Putin amid Ukraine war, Xi calls Russia-China ties a 'strong driving force'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping put their countries' partnership on red-carpet display in Beijing on Thursday, aiming to project a unified alternative to the West as each faces pressure amid Moscow's war on Ukraine.

President Xi received Putin outside the Great Hall of the People while uniformed bands played, soldiers stood at attention and cannons and rifles fired.

The welcome and celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations was followed by a 2½-hour meeting and a joint news conference, where the leaders signed declarations to deepen cooperation between their nations.

“China-Russia relations have withstood the test of time and become even stronger,” Xi said in televised remarks after the meeting with Putin. “The generational friendship and comprehensive cooperation between China and Russia have formed a strong driving force that allows us to move forward without fear of wind and rain.”

Putin's two-day visit, his first international trip since starting his unprecedented fifth term as president amid a crackdown on his opposition, came as both countries faced pressure or isolation from the West. The U.S. has warned Xi against enabling Putin’s assault on Ukraine through enhanced trade and economic cooperation .

“It’s all about symbolism,” said Alexey Muraviev, an associate professor of National Security and Strategic Studies at Curtin University in Western Australia. “It is a stepping stone that will mark the turn in bilateral relations for the next five to six years.”

During the news conference, Xi referred to the meeting as a new start in history for the two nations, and touted rising bilateral trade that has nearly doubled in the past 10 years to more than $240 billion.

China has benefited from cheap energy imports from Russia, and Putin on Thursday said the country would buy more Chinese electric vehicles just as the U.S. has implemented tariffs on them.

But having China as a trade partner has been critical to keeping Russia’s war efforts afloat, after sanctions following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine crippled its economy. That economic reliance has given Xi a slight upper hand.

“Back in 1950 the Soviet Union was the big brother. Now the situation is different. With its economy, China is a bigger brother to Russia,” Muraviev said.

While Russia is more experienced in political negotiations, and has a more powerful military and nuclear arsenal, Muraviev said, China’s economic might has been a significant determinant in the power balance. As Russia has made gains on the battlefield, that could tip the scales in Putin’s favor.

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“Given Russia’s current successes in Ukraine, it may put Putin in a stronger position with Xi,” he said. “He’s willing to negotiate, but on Russia’s terms.”

Despite the exuberant commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the neighboring countries have often found themselves at odds.

Analysts have described their recent collaboration — a "no-limits" pact announced just before Russia's full invasion of Ukraine — as a marriage of convenience and a desire to stand united against what they see as U.S. hegemony and containment.

Together, the two leaders pose a bigger threat to a common adversary, and can work toward discrediting America on the global stage, said Philipp Ivanov, a China-Russia analyst and founder of the consultancy Geopolitical Risks + Strategy Practice.

“China and Russia are working together on making American economic power look replaceable," Ivanov said. “If both can credibly demonstrate that they can survive and thrive under enormous U.S. pressure — and in Russia’s case, isolation — this is another nail in the coffin of the U.S.-led international order.”

Hu Xijin, the former editor in chief of the Global Times, the Communist Party tabloid, said on social media Thursday that China and Russia have been brought together out of necessity more than true alliance in cause.

“Right now China is facing full-scale suppression from the U.S. and so is Russia,” he said. “These two great countries becoming closer in strategy and in geopolitics is inevitable.”

According to Russian news agency Tass, Putin said in his talks with Xi that the cooperation between Russia and China is not directed against a particular country.

“Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena," Tass quoted the Russian leader.

Still, there are boundaries to how far Xi will go for Putin. On Thursday, Xi referred to Russia as a good partner, a good neighbor and a good friend. But both leaders have stopped short of declaring a formal alliance, indicating a reluctance to commit to a full backing of the other country.

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“They both have unique agendas. The other side might not want to get fully involved in that,” Muraviev said. “They recognize once they slip down that road, it might get uncomfortable for both of them.”

China also has not supplied arms to Russia in its war against Ukraine, but has boosted trade in other goods such as components that Western officials said could be used to make weapons.

“If China purports on the one hand to want good relations with Europe and other countries, it can’t on the other hand be fueling what is the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said during a trip to Beijing last month.

The U.S. has sought to deter China from assisting Russia, even drafting sanctions on some Chinese banks for aiding the war efforts, according to media reports.

“Xi is not prepared to pay a price for supporting Putin or Russia,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at University of London. He said he expected the countries would try to determine “how they can work closer together, with China strengthening its support for Russia without triggering secondary sanctions against China itself.”

As it has helped Russia withstand diplomatic and economic isolation, China has offered peace plans but has not called for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Xi has framed China as a neutral party in the conflict, and a potential mediator. In the news conference with Putin, Xi said he advocates for “a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.”

In an interview with China’s official state news agency Xinhua ahead of his arrival, Putin said he is open to a dialogue on Ukraine.

"We have never refused to negotiate," Putin said in the Xinhua article. “But such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours."

Focus on Ukraine as Russian President Putin meets Xi in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect the guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony during a two-day state visit to China. 

The leaders of Russia and China addressed the conflict in Ukraine during a closely watched meeting in Beijing on Thursday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that both countries see "a political agreement as the right way" to end the war.

The war in Ukraine has isolated President Vladimir Putin's Russia from the West, but China - the world's second-largest economy - remains the Kremlin's strongest ally.

Beijing has so far not condemned the war launched by Moscow in February 2022, and has maintained what it regards as a neutral stance.

However, China has given Russia key backing in the UN Security Council, and is an important trading partner for Moscow. Germany, the US and other supporters of Ukraine accuse Beijing meanwhile of not exerting enough pressure on Russia and even indirectly supporting Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.

There are also accusations that Chinese goods deliveries are supporting Russia's arms industry. The United States has placed some Chinese companies on sanctions lists.

Xi said on Thursday that China hopes peace and stability will soon be restored in Europe, and that Beijing is prepared to play a constructive role.

Putin thanked China for initiatives that he said were helping to resolve the conflict. Over a year ago, the Chinese government presented a 12-point peace plan. However, the proposals remained vague and prompted international criticism for not calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops, for example.

Beijing has not yet committed to the upcoming peace conference in Switzerland, which Russia is not attending.

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Xi greets Putin as 'oldfriend'

Putin and his delegation arrived in Beijing early on Thursday. After talks with Xi, he plans to travel to the northern Chinese industrial city of Harbin and visit a Russian-Chinese trade fair there.

It is Putin's first trip abroad since the start of his fifth term in office just over a week ago. While in China he expects to conclude several co-operation agreements.

The choice of Beijing as the first destination for Putin is also symbolic, as Russia was the first country Xi visited after taking office for a third term. The two nuclear powers have close economic ties.

Russia is affected by far-reaching sanctions imposed by the West as a result of its war against Ukraine and needs China as a trading partner.

As he greeted Putin, Xi congratulated his "old friend" on his fifth term in office and expressed confidence that Russia's development would make "great progress" under him.

According to state media reports, the Chinese leader did not mention the war against Ukraine in his welcoming speech. Xi said that China-Russia relations had become stronger and had withstood the "test of a changing international landscape."