Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have signed a 47-page joint declaration in Beijing, focusing on the establishment of a multipolar world and a new type of international relations.
The summit took place days after United States (US) President Donald Trump completed a two-day visit to China.
The joint statement advocates for a global system where economic, military, and diplomatic power is distributed among three or more nations rather than being concentrated in one or two. Both leaders addressed what they describe as unilateral hegemony.
Chinese state media reported that Xi told Putin, “The tide of unilateral hegemony is running rampant”.
Putin has previously stated that the era of the unipolar world order is ending, asserting that conflicts are used to retain global influence. In 2022, Putin accused the US of stoking hostilities in Ukraine to maintain its global influence, stating, “They need conflicts to retain their hegemony. The era of the unipolar world order is nearing its end”.
A Kremlin press statement noted that relations between Russia and China have reached “a truly unprecedented level and continue to develop”.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said, “Both sides should follow the trend of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win results to promote higher-quality development of China-Russia relations”.
The partnership includes the 70th anniversary of cooperation between the Russian TASS news agency and the Chinese Xinhua news agency, extending across economics, sport, education, and the media.
The two countries signed approximately 40 intergovernmental, interagency, and corporate documents to deepen economic cooperation.
Official data shows bilateral trade reached nearly $240 billion last year, with a 20 percent growth recorded in the first four months of this year.
Russia imports over 90 percent of technology targeted by US and European Union sanctions via Chinese suppliers, including components with military and dual-use applications vital to drone production and defence industries.
The Chinese ministry statement noted, “Both sides should build on this momentum, deepen the alignment of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Russia’s development strategy until 2030, promote the upgrading of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and serve the development and revitalization of both countries”.
The agreements also designated the “Year of Education,” under which Xi and Putin agreed to expand student exchange programmes, cooperation between universities, and joint scientific research platforms to boost joint scientific research.
