China and Russia's leaders lauded on Wednesday the progress in their strategic ties, as they met in Beijing for summit talks where Moscow is expected to push for stronger energy links.
President Xi Jinping welcomed President Vladimir Putin with an honour guard and a gun salute at the Great Hall of the People, as children waved Chinese and Russian flags. Alongside formal talks, the pair are expected to cap the day with an intimate meeting over tea.
Coming on the heels of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Chinese capital, the optics and outcomes of the summit between the Chinese and Russian leaders will be closely watched.
Xi said the countries should focus on long-term strategy and promote a "more just and reasonable" global governance system, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
"The reason China-Russia relations have reached this level is because we have been able to deepen political mutual trust and strategic cooperation," Xi said at the start of his meeting with Putin.
Putin said their relations were helping ensure global stability and stressed that Russia remained a reliable energy supplier amid Middle East disruption.
"The comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China in the new era is an example of international relations in the modern world," Putin told Xi.
Putin also invited Xi to visit Russia next year.
China remains the largest buyer of Russian oil, including pipeline supplies and sea-borne shipments.
Still, the Kremlin signalled ahead of the Beijing meeting that it was seeking further agreements on energy.
During Putin's last visit in September 2025, Russian gas giant Gazprom said both sides had agreed to move forward with the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. China, however, has said very little publicly about the project.
Key issues such as gas pricing remain unresolved, and negotiations could take years.
Energy supply shortages linked to the conflict in Iran may back Russia's case for the pipeline as a long-term gas source, but Beijing may want to stick to its supply diversification strategy.
Xi is known for hosting visiting leaders over tea, but the setting and manner of such encounters can be viewed as a signal of the Chinese leader's regard for his guest.
When Xi hosted Putin for talks in May 2024, the pair ditched their ties as they spoke over tea outdoors in Zhongnanhai, a former imperial garden that now houses the offices of the ruling Communist Party and the government.
In contrast, Trump's stroll through a secret garden and tea with Xi in the same compound, as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven last week, appeared more choreographed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there was no point comparing the ceremony in China for the visits of Putin and Trump, and that people should focus on the content.
As Xi and Putin began their meeting, China's commerce ministry confirmed a purchase of 200 Boeing jets that was announced by Washington following the Trump-Xi summit, signalling China's desire to stabilise economic and trade ties with the U.S. independent of its commitments with Russia.
Beijing will also seek an extension of the trade truce with the U.S. and push for reciprocal tariff cuts on $30 billion or more of goods each, the ministry said.
The so-called "no limits" partnership between China and Russia has strengthened since the West imposed sanctions to punish Russia for the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has set "serious expectations" for Putin's visit, which, alongside talks, will include a signing ceremony and a banquet followed by a tea where the two leaders will discuss key international issues in an informal setting.
Some 40 documents are expected to be signed and a 47-page joint statement on their strengthening partnership will be issued, according to the Kremlin.
If the summit yields a joint statement and dozens of agreements, the symbolism alone will be significant regardless of substance, said Patricia Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
"It would reinforce the message that the China-Russia partnership remains strong, institutionalised, and coordinated across a broad range of strategic issues," she added.
Putin, who has called Xi a "dear friend" and been labelled an "old friend" by the Chinese leader, visits at a time when bilateral trade is improving after a downturn last year.
Putin has acknowledged the need to reverse the downtrend, a nod to China's importance as an economic lifeline for sanctions-hit Moscow as the war in Ukraine takes a toll on its economy.
