President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday said his country’s ties with China were at an “unprecedented” high as he met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in a display of unity that they presented as a counterweight to the West.
Mr. Xi hosted Mr. Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the two held formal talks, as well as afternoon tea and a banquet. The Chinese leader said that relations between the countries had “withstood the test of a changing international situation and set an example for relations between major countries.”
Mr. Xi also signaled that Beijing would continue to align itself closely with Moscow on issues of shared interest.
One way in which the two countries have lately been in sync has been in how they have depicted history. Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin have echoed each other’s version of World War II and the role their countries played in ending it.
Their meeting came on the eve of a military parade to be held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event is intended as an elaborate display of China’s military might and expanding global influence at a time when President Trump’s tariffs are alienating U.S. allies and rivals alike. More than two dozen leaders are expected to attend the parade, including the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran.
The parade is the highlight of a monthslong campaign by China featuring speeches, films and television specials to put forward a version of the war that centers the Chinese Communist Party’s role in the fight against Japan. (Many historians believe it was the Chinese Nationalists, not the Communists, who did most of the fighting.)
Mr. Xi, in his meeting with Mr. Putin on Tuesday, praised the role of the Soviet Union and China in ending hostilities. The countries were the “main victors” of World War II and were determined to safeguard the results of that triumph as they push for a “more just and equitable” international system, he said.
Mr. Putin, addressing Mr. Xi as a “dear friend,” called the victory in World War II evidence of both countries’ “readiness to defend historical truth and justice.” “We were together then, we remain together now,” Mr. Putin said.
The Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany is central to Mr. Putin’s historical narrative, one that positions his war against Ukraine today as a similarly righteous and historic battle. With his planned attendance at Mr. Xi’s celebration on Wednesday, Mr. Putin appeared to be expanding that narrative to the Pacific theater of World War II and using it to underscore China and Russia’s expanding alliance.
For Mr. Xi, the wartime depiction is a way to burnish Beijing’s image at home as the country’s savior, and abroad, as a force for stability, as well as to support Chinese territorial claims over Taiwan, scholars say.
In one tangible sign of a deepening relationship, China announced it would offer visa-free entry for Russian tourists at least until September 2026.
But there was also evidence that the two countries’ positions were not perfectly aligned: The head of Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, told reporters on Tuesday that the company had reached a “legally binding” deal to build a long-awaited natural gas pipeline to China, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had nothing to announce.
Analysts doubted that China would welcome more purchases of Russian gas. “I see limited need for even more cubic meters of gas supply,” said Yan Qin, the principal analyst for China gas markets at ClearBlue Markets, a carbon markets advisory firm.
Beijing, Russia’s largest trading partner, has been an economic lifeline to Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Experts say the alignment — which the two countries call their “no limits strategic partnership” — is aimed at establishing an alternative world order with Beijing and Moscow on top.
In a veiled dig at Western leaders and Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin said on Tuesday that Mr. Xi’s vision for global governance was “urgently needed” at a time when such leadership is “in deficit.”
Russia’s sprawling delegation included two deputy prime ministers, 10 cabinet ministers and the heads of Russia’s largest companies in oil, gas, arms production and finance, a sign of Beijing’s importance to an internationally isolated Moscow. The head of Russia’s central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, and of Russia’s main state broadcasting company, Oleg Dobrodeyev, were there as well, according to a roster published by the Kremlin.
Mr. Putin lavished praise on his Chinese hosts, adding that the possibility of rain during the parade on Wednesday would have no effect on the celebrations. “The Chinese military will carry out this festive, solemn event with their usual brilliance,” he said.
Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Beijing and Berry Wang from Hong Kong.
Lily Kuo is a China correspondent for The Times, reporting from Taipei.
Anton Troianovski is the Moscow bureau chief for The Times. He writes about Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
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