Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pledged to “deepen strategic coordination” in a video call less than a day after President Donald Trump re-entered the White House.
A transcript of the call posted to the Kremlin’s website showed that both Putin and Xi referred to one another as “friends” and vowed to back one another’s strategic interests, no matter the “current global situation.”
“This year, I am ready, together with you, to elevate Chinese-Russian relations to a new level, to counter external uncertainties by preserving stability and resilience of Chinese-Russian relations,” Xi said while addressing Putin.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin holds a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Jan. 21, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Neither readouts of the call issued by China or Russia directly mentioned Ukraine, though Russia highlighted that Beijing has remained a major supporter of Moscow’s economy as it is the largest consumer of Russian energy resources – a major earner for Putin’s war effort.
“Five years ago, we launched the Power of Siberia gas pipeline together, and today, Russia has become the leading supplier of natural gas to China,” the Kremlin said in a readout.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a Victory Day military parade marking the 79th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II in Moscow. (Tian Bing/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Though according to Beijing, Moscow did directly address China’s interests in Taiwan and, according to the readout issued by the Chinese Communist Party, “Russia firmly supports Taiwan as an integral part of China’s territory and firmly opposes any form of ‘Taiwan independence.'”
“I believe that the past year was very good for us,” Putin said. “It can be said confidently that our foreign policy ties and Russia and China’s joint efforts objectively play a major stabilizing role in international affairs.”
