Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing on May 20. The two leaders signed roughly 40 documents, including a joint declaration “on the formation of a multipolar world and international relations of a new type” and a joint statement “on further strengthening comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.” The statement runs nearly 10,000 words and ranges from nuclear security to the protection of Amur tigers.

Putin and Xi Jinping failed to reach agreement on the central issue: the construction of the “Power of Siberia 2” pipeline. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two sides had agreed on the “basic parameters of understanding” regarding the route and construction process, but that a start date remained unknown. The price of Russian gas to be delivered through the pipeline is also unresolved. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia and China were finalizing supply contracts.

Russia and China called for “the full elimination of the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis.” The phrase appears in the joint statement on partnership and strategic cooperation. Putin uses the same “root causes” formulation consistently when speaking about the full-scale war Russia has been waging against Ukraine since 2022. The statement describes China’s position on the Russia–Ukraine conflict as “objective and impartial.”

Russia reaffirmed its opposition to Taiwanese independence “in any form.” “There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of it, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China,” the joint statement reads. Putin expressed support for China’s actions “to protect its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to reunify the country.”

Putin and Xi Jinping came out against the new American missile defense project. The project in question is “Golden Dome” — a multilayered system designed to provide complete protection for the entire territory of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Donald Trump unveiled the project in May 2025. Russia and China called “Golden Dome” a “threat to strategic stability.”

Putin arrived in Beijing one week after Trump. The U.S. president’s talks with Xi Jinping produced no breakthrough on trade and yielded no meaningful assistance in resolving the conflict with Iran. Xi Jinping received both leaders in roughly the same manner, staging nearly identical ceremonies for each. The Reuters news agency writes that both visits only underscore China’s growing power and that of its leader.