Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday that relations between their countries have reached an “unprecedented level,” during high-level talks in Beijing held ahead of a major military parade.

The meeting comes as world leaders, including the DPRK’s Kim Jong Un, gather in the Chinese capital for Wednesday’s military parade commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II.

“Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russian-Chinese ties, which are currently at an unprecedented level,” Putin said in a pooled live feed during the meeting with Xi.

Putin added, referencing historical military cooperation, “We were always together then, and we remain together now.”

Diplomatic flurry and the SCO summit

Xi Jinping has launched a series of diplomatic engagements this week, including his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, a bloc China views as a counterweight to Western-led alliances.

The military parade on Wednesday is expected to draw around two dozen world leaders, underscoring Beijing’s influence and ambitions on the global stage.

During the summit on Monday, both leaders took aim at Western powers. Xi condemned what he called “bullying behaviour” by unnamed countries, widely interpreted as a reference to the United States, while Putin defended Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine, blaming the West for inciting the war. 

The largest SCO Summit was held in #Tianjin, China, with leaders from around the world attending the event.

Countries like #Russia, #India, and #Turkey were among the attendees.

Here are key highlights from the major summit.#SCOSummit2025 #SCOSummit pic.twitter.com/3ggV0vpqe8

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 1, 2025

“China-Russia relations have withstood the test of international changes,” Xi said during Tuesday’s talks.

He added that Beijing is committed to working with Moscow to “promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system.”

Broader context: Strategic partnership and global realignment

Moscow and Beijing declared a “no limits partnership” just weeks before Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, their military and trade cooperation has expanded, causing unease in Western capitals.

While China has maintained it is a neutral party in the Ukraine war, it has refrained from condemning Russia or calling for a withdrawal of its troops. Beijing has consistently called for a political resolution while accusing the West of escalating the war by supplying arms to Kiev.

Xi and Putin have remained in regular contact. Last month, the two leaders held a phone call during which Xi welcomed what he described as improving ties between Moscow and Washington.

In May, Xi visited Moscow to participate in Russia’s May 9 celebrations marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. At the time, Xi said that China and Russia had “continued to deepen political mutual trust and strategic cooperation... and injected valuable stability and positive energy into an international situation full of interwoven turmoil.”