Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, May 7th, for a high-profile three-day visit, which includes his appearance as guest of honor at Russia’s grand Victory Day parade. His trip, widely viewed as a demonstration of solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin, comes at a time of escalating global tensions, particularly between China and the United States.
On his arrival, President Xi emphasized the strength of bilateral ties, writing: “The two sides should jointly resist any attempt to interfere with and undermine the China-Russia friendship and mutual trust, not be confused by temporary events or disturbed by the rough seas and use the certainty and resilience of China-Russia strategic cooperation to jointly promote the process of world multipolarisation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.”
The Kremlin declared that China-Russia relations are “at their highest point” and called the partnership a “genuine example” of international cooperation. Putin and Xi are expected to hold one-on-one talks covering the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the broader state of Russia-US relations.
While China has officially maintained a neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict, its alignment with Moscow has provided Russia with key economic and diplomatic support. Western governments have criticized this closeness, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently accused China of supplying weapons to Russia and claimed at least 155 Chinese nationals were fighting alongside Russian forces. Beijing denied these allegations, urging its citizens not to engage in foreign conflicts and reaffirming that it had not provided arms to either side.
Economic ties between China and Russia have flourished in recent years. China has emerged as Russia’s top trading partner, filling the gaps left by Western companies that exited the Russian market after the war began.
