Russian President Putin concluded a two-day official visit to China on May 17th, despite the continued claims by both China and Russia to strengthen the so-called “comprehensive strategic partnership in a new era.” However, after a meeting with the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, no breakthrough agreements were reached on a series of major issues of concern. Some scholars believe that Putin’s visit with a large delegation to China was aimed at persuading the Chinese Communist Party to continue providing military and economic assistance. However, it seems that China did not fully heed Putin’s advice, indicating significant divergences in interests between China and Russia.
Putin arrived in Beijing around 4 a.m. on May 16th, marking his second visit to China in seven months and his first overseas trip since his re-election. The Chinese authorities rolled out the red carpet at the airport and arranged for a ceremonial guard of honor to welcome Putin. It was rare to see a female official, State Councilor Chen Yiqin, being sent to receive him, highlighting the significance China placed on Putin’s visit and reflecting an unprecedented high level of Sino-Russian relations.
According to public information, Chen Yiqin had served in Guizhou for a long time, was once the Governor and Party Secretary of Guizhou Province, and was the only female provincial-level Party Secretary at the time. In March 2023, Chen Yiqin was appointed as a State Councilor in the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the State Council’s Party Group. In October of the same year, she became the Chairwoman of the All-China Women’s Federation, becoming the first State Councilor to concurrently hold the position of Chairwoman of the All-China Women’s Federation since 1988, breaking a 35-year precedent.
Some articles on Chinese portals stated that China’s decision to send Chen Yiqin to welcome Putin was a special arrangement, demonstrating China’s high regard for Putin and indicating an unprecedented level of Sino-Russian relations.
However, political analysts in the United States, such as Chen Pokong, expressed surprise at Chen Yiqin’s involvement in welcoming Putin. Chen Pokong pointed out that Chen Yiqin’s background had no relevance to diplomacy and was not associated with business, trade, or economics. He suggested that this could be a deliberate move by China to divert attention from the United States and Europe while superficially showing goodwill towards them.
In February 2022, after declaring an “unlimited” partnership, Russia immediately launched an invasion of Ukraine. Over the past two years, China has become a crucial ally for Russia. Beijing refused to condemn Russia and continued trade relations, leading to dissatisfaction from the United States and the European Union. Russia faced severe sanctions from Western countries, causing its economy to suffer. In this scenario, Putin heavily relied on China for diplomatic support and financial assistance.
Statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China indicated that Sino-Russian trade reached a record-breaking $240.1 billion in 2023, a 26.3% year-on-year increase, surpassing the target set by the two countries’ leaders.
In Russia’s exports to China, mineral resources such as oil, coal, and petroleum products accounted for 73%, nearly 40% of the bilateral trade volume; while China’s exports to Russia mainly included electromechanical products, home appliances, automobiles, and accessories, representing nearly 40% of the total exports to Russia. In 2023, China imported 107 million tons of oil from Russia, making Russia its largest oil supplier.
Russia also sold natural gas resources to China at discounted prices. In February 2024, Russia’s energy giant Gazprom surpassed Turkmenistan to become China’s largest natural gas supplier.
Before his visit to China, Putin mentioned in an interview with China’s Xinhua News Agency that in the past five years, bilateral trade between China and Russia had doubled; China had been Russia’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. He expressed intentions for the two countries to enhance closer cooperation in industrial and high-tech areas, space exploration, peaceful use of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and other innovative fields.
Putin described the China-Russia relationship as reaching an “unprecedented” high level and continuing to strengthen. He claimed that the contemporary China-Russia relationship transcended ideology, and regardless of changes in the political situation, the multi-layered development of bilateral relations was a conscious strategic choice. He referred to China as a “good neighbor and reliable friend.”
Putin’s delegation from Russia for this visit was considered luxurious, with five Deputy Prime Ministers accompanying him, each responsible for areas such as the economy, society, energy, resource development, and tourism. The delegation also included Foreign Minister Lavrov, Defense Minister Shoigu, Finance Minister Siluanov, Central Bank Governor Nabiullina, and Shoygu, who had been reassigned as Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Russia also sent a large trade delegation, including leaders from nearly 20 regions and top officials of major companies.
Despite Putin’s lavish praises of their friendship, Chinese Communist Party Leader Xi may have reservations.
In the joint statement issued on May 16th following their meeting, the phrase “there is no limit to the friendship between the two countries, and there are no restricted areas for cooperation” was no longer included.
During a press conference after the meeting with Putin, Xi stated that both sides would uphold the principles of “non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties.” He emphasized the need to actively seek converging points of interest between the two countries, leverage their respective strengths, deepen the integration of interests, and achieve mutual success.
In an interview with a reporter from Epoch Times, political commentator Tang Jingyuan, residing in Belgium, pointed out that the broad content of the joint statement issued by China and Russia this time reflected a comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. Although termed as “cooperation,” it primarily involved China’s support and assistance to Russia. After more than two years of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia’s treasury had dried up, now relying entirely on China for support. Against this backdrop, the China-Russia relationship had undergone changes, with a shift in the power dynamics between Putin and Xi.
Du Wen, former Executive Director of the Legal Advisory Office of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government of the Chinese Communist Party, residing in Belgium, believed that Putin’s lead with a large delegation to China aimed to persuade Xi to continue providing military and economic assistance.
Du Wen expressed to Epoch Times that the team accompanying Putin was actually meant to assist the Chinese side in problem-solving. Putin tried to eliminate Xi’s concerns through communication with a professional team, specifically regarding how China and Russia would respond to Western sanctions if implemented. He sought to persuade Xi not to fear Western sanctions and to continue providing economic and military assistance to Russia.
“Of course, for now, it seems that China did not fully heed Putin’s advice, and there are significant divergences in interests between China and Russia,” Du Wen said. From Xi’s statements, it could be seen that China firmly supported Russia but would not sacrifice its position in the industrial chain. Therefore, the bottom line of China-Russia cooperation did not include military and equipment cooperation that the West could not accept. At the same time, the cooperation between the two sides was not “unlimited” but had to be carried out on the premise of serving Chinese interests. He added, “In plain terms, it’s an exchange of interests, and the so-called friendship is just a verbal statement.”
Du Wen also mentioned that Putin’s visit to China highlighted the intention of both countries to further strengthen economic and political connections when faced with Western sanctions. This involved developing relations with Russia, especially in economic, trade, and energy sectors, without worsening relations with the West for the time being. However, disagreements still existed, as China apparently could not provide the military support that Putin expected, thereby jeopardizing his sustainability without China’s support.
Prior to hosting Putin, Chinese Communist Party Leader Xi had just concluded a visit to Europe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, at the invitation of French President Macron, conducted a trilateral summit with Xi Jinping in Paris on May 6th. Von der Leyen conveyed together with Macron the hope that China would not supply lethal weapons to Russia, including support for dual-use military products, reiterating the critical importance of this matter to EU-China relations. Previously, the United States and Europe had continuously criticized China for supplying dual-use materials and weapon components to Russia.
Furthermore, Macron and von der Leyen pressured Xi Jinping on China’s excess production capacity. Xi Jinping did not seem to make significant concessions but offered a certain degree of positive gesture.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a recent visit to Beijing, stated that China was fueling the “greatest threat to European security” since the Cold War. On April 19th, he mentioned that if China wished to maintain friendly relations with Europe and other countries, it could not simultaneously contribute to the greatest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.
In April this year, the Group of Seven (G7) held a meeting of foreign ministers on Capri Island, Italy. The G7 foreign ministers stated that Chinese companies transferred dual-use materials and weapon components to Russia, enabling it to redevelop and revitalize its defense industry, posing a threat to Ukraine and international peace and security, which they regretted.
Due to endangering US national security or conflicting with diplomatic interests, on May 9th, the US government added 37 Chinese entities to its trade blacklist, including some Chinese companies that aided Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On May 16th, a spokesperson for the US State Department indicated that after the Chinese Communist Party leader vowed to strengthen relations with Putin, it was impossible to improve relations with the West while simultaneously supporting Russia.
Du Wen stated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and threats to European security were red lines for the US and Europe. However, while China had been purchasing Russian oil at high prices and providing unlimited support to Russia, it did not mean that China had no bottom line. Once the West took serious action, China would have to make concessions.
The article has contributions from reporter Ning Xin.