Xi-Putin Meeting: Mutual Guarding and Strategic Hedging

Image: Screenshot from video showing red paint on the ground in place of a red carpet during Xi Jinping's visit to Russia

[People News] On May 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping held a meeting in Moscow, where both sides emphasised the close China-Russia alliance. Xi asserted joint opposition to so-called international “hegemonic bullying,” aiming to challenge the U.S.-led world order. However, analysts note that Putin’s statement that the relationship "does not target any third party" shows he is keeping a fallback option. In reality, China and Russia still harbour divergent agendas.

According to a report by The Epoch Times, Putin emphasised during the talks that China-Russia relations are not aimed at any third party, describing their ties as “equal, mutually beneficial, and not affected by political opportunism.” Xi responded by calling Putin an “old friend” and claimed that “in the face of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying, China and Russia will jointly shoulder the special responsibilities of major powers.” Putin also expressed his willingness to visit China in September to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the war against Japan.

Commentator Jiang Feng, speaking on his YouTube show Jiang Feng Time on May 8, noted that despite knowing Ukrainian drones were targeting airports near Moscow, Xi Jinping still traveled there — the only reasonable explanation being that Xi is now forced to fill the pit he and Putin dug together with the 2022 war in Ukraine, which began during the Beijing Winter Olympics. Russia has borne enormous human casualties and economic hardship; Russian citizens are dying and paying with their own pensions. Yet, it’s the CCP that is actually consuming the war’s brutality. The script has been written for Xi to make a high-profile visit to Russia, issue anti-hegemonic declarations, and sign cooperation agreements — all while calling for peace and embracing a globally condemned aggressor. The harsh reality and history between China and Russia reveal that while the CCP claims “no limits” in supporting Russia, Russia, in turn, has “no bottom line” in exploiting China.

Cheng Chin-mo, associate professor of diplomacy at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times that Xi’s public show of unity with Putin is motivated by the strategic threat posed by Trump’s global agenda, which centres on containing the CCP. According to Cheng, Trump sees the CCP as the primary source of national security threats, economic harm, and infiltration of the United States. His strategy is, if the U.S. can’t ally with Russia to counter China, then at least don’t push Russia into China’s arms. In contrast, Xi harbours global ambitions and sees a partnership with Russia as a stepping stone, regardless of historical animosity or how much Russia has extracted from China — hence Xi's insistence on an “unlimited” relationship with Moscow.

Cheng noted: “Xi’s goal is to keep Russia from siding with the U.S. So even though he's facing severe domestic economic downturns, retaliatory U.S. tariffs, intensifying political infighting, and reportedly poor health, he still travelled to Moscow under immense pressure.”

The focus of Xi's message during this visit was to highlight opposition to U.S. unilateralism and hegemonic bullying — a direct reference to Trump’s tariff war. Putin, on the other hand, emphasised the legitimacy of his war in Ukraine, repeatedly using terms like “denazification.” Xi’s rhetoric targeted the U.S., while Putin carefully reiterated that Russia’s position doesn’t target any particular country. Clearly, Putin is leaving room for strategic flexibility.

Jiang Feng observed that although Xi and Putin stood side-by-side on the parade platform, loudly denouncing hegemony as if they were revolutionary comrades, behind the scenes, CCP Vice Premier He Lifeng had already quietly flown to Switzerland for direct trade talks with the U.S. Treasury Secretary and Trade Representative — the first such talks since Trump’s second term. This “backdoor deal” in Switzerland exposes Xi’s real strategy: singing red songs with one mouth and chasing greenbacks (U.S. dollars) with his feet. It’s the highest form of cynical realism — straddling both sides with no moral bottom line.

Jiang added that right after proclaiming “deep China-Russia brotherhood” and anti-hegemony, Xi used the fentanyl issue as a bridge to seek easing of tensions with the U.S. This act of “cursing the American empire while begging for tariff relief” epitomizes the China-Russia relationship — a verbal alliance in which both parties see each other as burdens. Economically, China’s dependence on Russia is limited, but its reliance on trade with the U.S. and Europe is massive. Over 60% of China’s high-end technologies and semiconductors still come from the U.S., Europe, Japan, and South Korea. Despite state media touting “self-reliance” and “domestic substitution,” the truth is that if ASML or TSMC cuts off supply, Huawei would instantly fall behind by five years.

Russia, meanwhile, has become an “island of wartime economy” — cut off from SWIFT, under energy sanctions, and with its foreign reserves frozen. It barely survives through oil exports and arms sales. While the CCP voices support for Russia, it remains wary of Putin’s arms orders, fearing it could get caught in secondary sanctions.

Jiang noted that militarily, the China-Russia relationship appears close but is actually fraught with mutual suspicion. Russia has always been cautious about letting military technology leak to China, and mostly sells outdated models. Can this self-soothing narrative of “red brotherhood” really hold up in the future? Absolutely not.

Putin is eager to see Western sanctions lifted. China, meanwhile, is battling a slowing domestic economy, skyrocketing youth unemployment, and crippling local government debt. It needs to stabilise foreign trade and attract foreign capital, and thus must seek U.S. cooperation. More crucially, global perceptions of the CCP have shifted. The EU no longer trusts China as a peaceful partner. The G7 has unanimously emphasised de-risking supply chains. Germany has openly declared it will scrutinise Chinese investments. The U.S. is leading allies in semiconductor and AI blockades. If China continues clinging to Russia, it will only deepen its isolation. When trouble arises, the China-Russia “partnership” may collapse or even turn adversarial.

Jiang concluded that while Xi was still reading scripts and smiling at the cameras during the Red Square parade, Putin knew well that the real battlefield is not in Moscow but in the global capital markets. The real weapon isn’t missiles — it’s trust and stability. And those are precisely what the CCP is now losing.

One overseas netizen, “cyuxi,” commented: “Russia and China, Putin and Xi — they’re becoming increasingly like tragic brothers in arms. Bluffing their way abroad, hitting walls, and getting isolated. Now all they can do is shut the doors and play among themselves.”