Published on 5/20/2026
One week after Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Beijing denounced, during a joint summit on Wednesday, the White House administration’s plans to build the “Golden Dome” missile defense system, and Washington’s “irresponsible” nuclear policy.
The meeting of the two presidents comes in the midst of a series of crises that directly affect their countries, foremost of which are threats to return to war in the Gulf region, the continuation of the military conflict in Ukraine, and the disturbances witnessed in the movement of commercial exchanges and oil supplies.
The joint statement with Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that Xi, despite seeking to establish stable and constructive relations with Trump, fundamentally disagrees with him on key issues on which China’s position closely aligns with Russia’s position.
However, the summit did not result in an agreement on gas deals, specifically on a new pipeline project that would support the flow of Russian gas exports to China.
A threat to strategic stability
The statement stated that Trump’s plan to deploy a ground- and space-based missile interception system represents a threat to global strategic stability, criticizing Washington for halting implementation of the treaty that restricted the American and Russian nuclear arsenals.
The treaty expired in February, without Trump responding to Moscow’s proposal to extend it for an additional year, after some American politicians argued that it was necessary to strengthen the nuclear arsenal to confront China, which says its nuclear capabilities are much lower.
The summit was not without veiled criticism of American policies. A joint statement said that the two countries reject “unilateral approaches in dealing with international issues, hegemonic policies, and all forms of coercion.”
In one of the two statement documents, Russia and China called for a permanent settlement of the war in Ukraine through negotiations and dialogue, but the document also pointed to what Moscow calls “the root causes of the Ukraine crisis,” which, according to the Kremlin, are linked to Kiev’s ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Putin and Xi stressed their “full agreement” that the US and Israeli strikes on Iran are a violation of international law.
The two presidents also agreed at the summit:
- Deepening military cooperation, including expanding joint military exercises.
- Expanding joint air and sea patrols.
- Pledging to jointly respond to “various challenges and threats.”
- Russia reiterated its support for China’s position that the autonomous democratic island of Taiwan is part of China.
Gas deals fail
Although the two leaders agreed in their positions on global security issues, they failed to achieve progress that Moscow had been seeking for some time, namely concluding an agreement to establish a new pipeline that would allow doubling the amounts of natural gas that Russia exports to China.
China was directly affected by the Iranian and American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large portion of its supplies pass. On the other hand, President Putin sees this crisis as an opportunity for new markets for his country, the third largest oil producer in the world and the second largest gas producer, according to the International Energy Agency.
“In light of the crisis in the Middle East, Russia remains a reliable supplier,” Putin said.
During his previous visit in September 2025, the Russian gas giant Gazprom said that the two sides agreed to move forward with the extension of a second pipeline, Power of Siberia 2, a proposed 2,600-kilometre pipeline to transport 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to China via Mongolia.
Moscow indicated before the current visit that it was seeking to conclude more agreements in the energy field with China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, including pipeline supplies and seaborne shipments.
Alexander Novak, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, said China was interested in long-term Russian oil supplies and increasing quantities, which he said had risen by 10% in four months.
But China did not make many statements about the pipeline project. Xi said on Wednesday that energy cooperation should be the “cornerstone” of Sino-Russian relations, but he did not mention the pipeline.
Key issues, such as gas pricing, remain unresolved, and analysts expect negotiations to take years.
The Kremlin said that the two sides had reached a “general understanding on the parameters” of the project, but without agreeing on any details or a clear timetable.
Novak said that Moscow and Beijing are working to finalize supply contracts related to the pipeline.
Despite the close rapprochement between the two countries, the economic relationship does not seem balanced in general, as Russian goods represent only about 5% of Beijing’s imports in 2025, according to Chinese customs. In contrast, China represented more than a third of Russia’s imports and more than a quarter of its exports in 2025, according to the Russian TASS agency.
Beijing is back in the spotlight
Putin’s visit did not result in notable deals in the energy and investment sector, but Chinese President Xi Jinping succeeded in concluding a week full of diplomatic events, during which he met leaders including China’s most prominent strategic competitor, as well as one of Beijing’s closest partners.
In light of Trump’s efforts to end the war with Iran, and the involvement of Putin’s forces in Ukraine, these summits provided the Chinese president with an opportunity to highlight Beijing as one of the pillars of global stability and an indispensable diplomatic player.
In a scene very similar to the one that accompanied Trump’s arrival in Beijing, the Russian guest was received with traditional artillery welcome shots.
But the tone was warmer between Xi and Putin, one of whom used to describe the other as an “old friend” and a “dear friend,” and they had previously met about 40 times during the thirteen years in which they were in power.
While the summit with Trump focused on containing tension, the meeting with Putin imposed a different challenge, which was how to show tangible progress in a relationship that both sides describe as “without borders.”
Xi Jinping seeks to establish China’s image as an oasis of stability amid the turmoil. China and Russia oppose a world order dominated by the United States and the West. They are historical partners of Iran and North Korea.
Unlike last week, Xi and Putin signed declarations covering strategic cooperation, railway construction and urban development. They also agreed to extend the 25-year-old Good Neighborhood Treaty, in addition to the mutual visa exemption system.
Putin invited Xi to visit Russia next year, and confirmed his attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November in China.
