BEIJING: President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Wednesday to further extend the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, while pledging to further strengthen political mutual trust, strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries amid a fluid and turbulent international situation.
The agreement was reached during talks between the two heads of state at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, before Putin concluded his two-day state visit to China.
After their talks earlier on Wednesday, the two presidents signed a joint statement on further enhancing the comprehensive strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation between the two countries. They witnessed the signing of 20 cooperation documents in areas including the economy and trade, education, and science and technology.
The two sides also issued a joint statement on advocating a multipolar world and a new type of international relations, and reached 20 cooperation agreements in other areas.
When addressing the media together after their talks, Xi said this was Putin’s 25th trip to China since he first assumed the presidential office in Russia in 2000, which fully demonstrates the high level and uniqueness of China-Russia relations.
Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination partnership, Xi said that over the past three decades, bilateral ties have reached the highest level in history as a comprehensive strategic of coordination for a new era, setting an example for a new type of major-country relations.
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. The treaty was last extended on June 28, 2021, when Xi and Putin held talks via video link and issued a joint statement ahead of the 20th anniversary of its signing.
Xi said that over the years, the two countries have always abided by the treaty’s established principle of non-alliance, nonconfrontation and not targeting any third party, while upholding equality, mutual respect, good faith and win-win cooperation.
The two countries have made important contributions to safeguarding international fairness and justice and promoting a new type of international relations, serving as a vital constant amid changes unseen in a century, he said.
Xi called on China and Russia to build on past achievements and further support each other firmly on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, maintain close strategic communication and exchanges at all levels, and continuously consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust between the two countries.
In recent years, cooperation between China and Russia in various fields has advanced steadily and achieved many positive results. The value of bilateral trade has exceeded $200 billion for three consecutive years, and in the first four months of 2026, two-way trade increased nearly 20 percent, according to customs data.
Xi said the two sides should build on this momentum, deepen the alignment between China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and Russia’s development strategy through 2030, and upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to better serve the development and revitalization of both countries.
Speaking about global governance, Xi noted that the world today is far from being peaceful, with unilateralism and hegemonism causing severe harm, adding that the world is facing the danger of returning to the law of the jungle.
As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and Russia should firmly fulfill their responsibilities as major countries, uphold the authority of the UN as well as international fairness and justice, and oppose all acts of unilateral bullying and attempts to reverse the course of history, he said.
China and Russia should, in particular, oppose all provocative acts that deny the outcomes of World War II and seek to justify and revive fascism and militarism, Xi said, emphasizing that the two sides should jointly promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system.
Putin, who received a welcoming ceremony that featured a 21-gun salute, quoted the Chinese saying that “one day apart feels like three autumns” when meeting with Xi, whom he described as his “dear friend”.
“Russia-China relations have reached a truly unprecedented level, and continue to develop. At the same time, our relations are self-sufficient; they do not depend on the current international situation and can serve as an example of relations between nations in this age,” he said when addressing the media.
He said that Russia is full of confidence in the future of bilateral relations, adding that it will work with China to deepen the two countries’ partnership and good-neighborly friendship, strengthen people-to-people bonds, and contribute to the development and revitalization of both countries and the well-being of their peoples.
“Moscow and Beijing will jointly uphold international law and the provisions of the UN Charter in their entirety … and cooperate effectively within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other international structures, making a significant contribution to addressing pressing global and regional challenges,” Putin said.
During their talks on Wednesday, Xi said the China-Russia relationship has entered a new stage of greater achievements and faster development.
Unswervingly promoting the long-term, sound, steady and high-quality development of the China-Russia relationship is a strategic choice made by the two sides based on the fundamental interests of the two countries and the global trends, he said.
Xi called on China and Russia to fully implement the important common understandings reached between him and Putin, seize the historic opportunities and further promote the mutual trust, cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
He emphasized that both sides should focus on the goals of national development and revitalization, fully leverage the comprehensive and well-established mechanisms of China-Russia cooperation and strengthen the overall planning for cooperation in all respects.
The two countries should also promote the upgrading of practical cooperation in trade and investment, energy and resources, transportation, and sci-tech innovation, as well as actively explore cooperation in frontier areas, in order to create new engines for growth with new quality productive forces, Xi said.
He added that efforts should be made to continue the long-standing friendship between the two sides, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, film, tourism and sports, and consolidate the social and public support for bilateral friendship.
Also on Wednesday, China announced that it has decided to extend its visa-free policy for Russia until Dec 31, 2027. According to TASS news agency, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said in Beijing that Russia will also extend its visa-free policy for Chinese citizens.
During their talks, the two heads of state exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East.
Xi emphasized that all hostilities in the Middle East must end immediately, renewed fighting should be avoided and, most important, negotiations should continue.
Noting that the situation in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region is at a critical juncture between war and peace, he said that an early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to the stability of energy supplies, the functioning of industrial and supply chains, and the stability of the international trade order.
On Wednesday evening, Xi held a welcoming banquet for Putin in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
