With the echoes of Donald Trump’s visit and summit in Beijing with his host Xi Jinping still lingering, another visit followed in Beijing — that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. More than four years after the start of the war in Ukraine and amid ongoing strategic competition between China and the United States, Beijing and Moscow are seeking to strengthen a partnership that has become one of the defining relationships of the emerging international order. The symbolism of this visit is particularly significant.

The meeting focused not only on bilateral cooperation, but also on broader issues concerning the future of the international political architecture. During the visit, around 40 cooperation agreements were signed, covering fields ranging from energy and transport to technology, education, innovation and diplomatic coordination. Beyond the practical dimension of these agreements, the political dimension of the rapprochement between the two countries assumed particular significance.

At this stage, China and Russia are presenting themselves as supporters of reforming global institutions and promoting a more balanced distribution — from their perspective — of economic and political power at the international level. This approach is linked not only to diplomacy but also to the economic transformations of recent years, during which emerging economies have gained increasing weight in global trade, international finance and technological development.

The Russian president stated that the two countries would continue expanding “bilateral cooperation” and would actively engage in international forums where their teams work closely together “to build a strong foundation for a multipolar world.”

For his part, Xi Jinping described the China–Russia relationship as a partnership that has entered “a new stage,” emphasizing that Beijing and Moscow would work together to reform and improve global governance.

A significant element of this rapprochement is the commitment to closer coordination in international multilateral organizations. BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the G20, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other global governance institutions are taking on increasing importance in the joint strategy of Moscow and Beijing. Both countries appear to be investing more heavily in building alternative or parallel mechanisms to the traditional institutions of the post-war international order.

Among the most important documents signed was a joint declaration on a multipolar world order, perhaps the most political outcome of the visit. The document articulates a shared vision for global governance and for how international relations should be organized in the coming decades. In essence, China and Russia advocate for an international system less dominated by the United States and Western institutions, promoting a model in which major regional and global powers play a more balanced role in international decision-making.

Another important document focused on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries as a long-term project of political, economic and diplomatic coordination.

Alongside politics, economic cooperation remains the other pillar of this relationship. Since the intensification of Western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has become Russia’s most important economic partner. Bilateral trade reportedly reached approximately $228 billion in 2025, reflecting the rapid expansion of economic relations in recent years. China has become Russia’s largest trading partner, while Russia has become a key supplier of strategic resources to the Chinese economy.

Yet the realization of a multipolar world order — while theoretically suggesting a new balance of power — faces deep structural, practical and geopolitical obstacles. One major difficulty lies in the resistance of institutions created after the Second World War, which remain largely shaped around American leadership. Moreover, the transition from a unipolar to a multipolar order risks creating a security vacuum without a global stabilizing power, while regional rivalries could intensify into open conflicts with unpredictable consequences.

Energy sits at the center of this partnership. One of the main topics of Putin’s visit was the “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline project. The proposed infrastructure aims to transport around 50 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually to China via Mongolia. For Moscow, the project is strategically vital. The decline of Russian energy exports to European markets after sanctions forced the Kremlin to seek alternative markets and redirect its energy strategy toward Asia. China offers Russia not only a massive market but also a long-term and relatively stable destination for energy exports.

However, the economic relationship is increasingly marked by structural imbalance. China occupies the stronger position. While Russia depends heavily on access to the Chinese market, Beijing enjoys greater strategic flexibility. China seeks secure energy supplies and geopolitical coordination with Moscow while simultaneously avoiding overdependence on Russian resources and maintaining stable economic relations with Western economies.

Russia is increasingly viewed as an economy growing dependent on Chinese finance, technology, industrial goods and export demand. China’s economic weight grants Beijing substantial leverage in the bilateral relationship.

China’s position remains especially complex. Beijing maintains close strategic cooperation with Moscow while striving to preserve stable economic ties with Europe and the United States. China has avoided forming a formal military alliance with Russia, preferring strategic flexibility. This enables Beijing to strengthen ties with Moscow without fully aligning itself with Russian foreign policy objectives. Chinese diplomacy increasingly reflects a broader strategy of maximizing influence across geopolitical blocs without making excessive commitments that could constrain its freedom of action.

For Russia, by contrast, strategic options have narrowed significantly. International sanctions, economic isolation and the prolonged war in Ukraine have accelerated Moscow’s eastern orientation. China increasingly functions as Russia’s principal economic lifeline, creating a relationship that formally presents itself as an equal partnership but in practice reflects an unequal balance of power.

Russia contributes energy resources, raw materials and strategic military coordination. China contributes markets, capital, industrial capacity, technology and growing global influence.

Putin’s visit to Beijing, therefore, reflects more than the strengthening of a bilateral partnership. It reflects a broader transformation of the international order, where economic interdependence, geopolitical rivalry, technological competition and energy security are increasingly intertwined, creating a new reality in international relations. In a world where globalization no longer operates according to the logic of unconditional economic integration, but increasingly according to strategic competition, the China–Russia relationship is gaining particular weight as one of the principal axes of this transformation.

*Academician Prof. Dr Anastas Angjeli is economy expert, former MP and Finance Minister, founder and president of the Mediterranean University of Albania