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CHINESE President Xi Jinping on Tuesday reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to strengthen ties with Russia and expand mutual investment, pledging to advance bilateral cooperation despite what he described as a “turbulent external environment,” according to Chinese state media.
Xi met Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, a day after Mishustin held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Hangzhou. Li had said that China sought to enhance collaboration with Russia and defend their shared security interests.
“China–Russia relations have stayed the course toward higher-level and higher-quality development, advancing steadily despite a turbulent external environment,” Xi told Mishustin, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“Safeguarding, consolidating and developing China–Russia relations is a strategic choice for both sides,” Xi added.
The Chinese leader highlighted several areas of potential growth — including energy, agriculture, aerospace, the digital economy and green development — as key industries in which both nations could deepen cooperation and “foster new engines of growth.”
Mishustin, quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency, said it was essential for both sides to continue “creating favourable conditions for attracting mutual investment and supporting joint projects.”
The Kremlin has underscored the importance of the Russian premier’s visit as Moscow seeks to mitigate the impact of sweeping Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine and to counter a recent slowdown in trade with China.
Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a “no-limits” partnership in February 2022, just days before Russian troops entered Ukraine. Since then, Moscow has increasingly relied on Beijing to soften the blow of sanctions, boosting trade settlements in yuan and expanding energy cooperation.
However, bilateral commerce has dipped in recent months as China faces mounting pressure from the United States over trade and technology.
Last month, Reuters reported that Chinese state oil majors had halted purchases of seaborne Russian crude following U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil companies.
In a joint communiqué released on the Russian government’s website on Tuesday, both countries agreed to “strengthen cooperation in all spheres and respond appropriately to external challenges.”
Russia also reiterated its support for Beijing’s “one-China” principle and its opposition to “Taiwan independence.”
China regards self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, while Taipei rejects Beijing’s claim and insists that only the island’s people can determine their own future. - November 4, 2025