Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement on bilateral cooperation in Beijing on Wednesday, strengthening strategic ties between Russia and China amid growing global tensions.
According to state media, the agreement aims to further enhance strategic coordination and deepen long-term neighbourly and friendly cooperation between the two countries. In addition, both sides signed several agreements covering trade, technology and other areas of collaboration during the high-level meeting in Beijing.
The two leaders also attended the opening ceremony of a new joint education initiative as part of broader efforts to expand cultural and institutional ties between Moscow and Beijing. Their meeting came only days after US President Donald Trump concluded a widely watched visit to China that reportedly produced limited progress on key issues including trade, Ukraine and the conflict involving Iran.
NOW
The signing ceremony of the joint Russian‑Chinese documents has begun in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.President VLADIMIR PUTIN and President XI JINPING signed a joint declaration to deepen the partnership and relations between the two countries, while 20… pic.twitter.com/hQn5dIJzGy
— China pulse 🇨🇳 (@Eng_china5) May 20, 2026
During the meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping praised the “unyielding” relationship between China and Russia and called for stronger strategic cooperation between the two nations. He stressed that both countries, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, should work together to create a fairer and more balanced global governance system.
Meanwhile, Putin described relations with Beijing as reaching an “unprecedentedly high level” and said he had held substantive discussions with Chinese officials on bilateral cooperation and regional affairs.
The Russian president arrived in China on Tuesday night, where Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed him alongside a ceremonial guard of honour. The Kremlin earlier stated that the visit would focus on economic cooperation as well as major international and regional developments.
