Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Unite Against Donald Trump’s Golden Dome Defense System in Beijing

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled a united front against Washington during a summit in Beijing, warning against a global return to the “law of the jungle”.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in Beijing for talks with China's Xi Jinping The visit comes days after Xi hosted President Donald Trump”

ABC News

In a joint statement, China and Russia took aim at US President Donald Trump’s plans for a $175bn “Golden Dome” defence system, which would create a new missile field in the Midwest.

ABC News

Russian media reported Putin telling Xi, “Even against the backdrop of unfavourable external factors, our interaction and economic cooperation demonstrate strong momentum,” while Xi lauded the “unyielding relationship” between China and Russia.

The leaders also criticised the expiry of the last US-Russia arms control treaty, which fell to the wayside in February when Trump failed to respond to Moscow’s proposal to extend it by a year.

Xi told Putin that further conflict tied to the United States-Israeli war on Iran was “inadvisable” and that a ceasefire was necessary.

The summit in Beijing, which kicked off with a red carpet and a military band playing both national anthems, produced more than 20 agreements on trade and tech, according to Chinese state media as cited by the BBC.

The BBC said the leaders issued a lengthy joint statement that criticised the US’s military actions and Golden Dome defence shield plans, and it noted that Xi called for a “more just and reasonable global governance system” while Putin said they had “reached a truly unprecedented level”.

Al Jazeera

However, the two countries failed to finalise details on the multi-billion dollar Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline, with the Kremlin saying they only reached “a general understanding”.

Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reported from Beijing that while the two leaders planned to sign some 40 agreements covering everything from the economy and tourism to education, energy security remained Putin’s priority.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that the two sides reached a “basic understanding” on the pipeline’s route but that there was no “clear timeline” for a buildout.

Beyond the security messaging, the summit put energy at the center of the relationship, with Putin calling it the “driving force of economic cooperation” in Russian-Chinese relations.

“Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are wapping up their talks in Beijing with a banquet, according to Chinese state media”

BBC

Al Jazeera reported that “Since the war in Ukraine, any gas sales that were previously heading to Europe, that is all dried up, and Russia is in desperate need of revenue to replace that,” as the two sides discussed energy security in Beijing.

The BBC added that China and Russia called on countries to stop “unilaterally” interfering with international trade and supply chains, in an apparent reference to the Strait of Hormuz.

In a separate joint statement, China and Russia warned of “a danger of fragmentation of the international community and a return to the ‘law of the jungle'”.

The stakes for the leaders’ next steps were reflected in the Kremlin’s position that the pipeline talks had only reached “a general understanding,” leaving the future of Power of Siberia 2 unresolved as the summit ended.