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Latest news on China-Russia relations, Sino-Russian alliance, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, trade, military cooperation and geopolitics.
The relationship between China and Russia has become one of the most consequential geopolitical partnerships of the modern era. Bilateral trade stabilised at around $245 billion in 2024 — more than double its 2020 level — as the two countries deepened economic integration following Western sanctions on Moscow. Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin met twice in 2025, describing their strategic partnership as reaching an "unprecedented level."
Western governments and Ukraine have raised serious concerns about China's role in sustaining Russia's war effort. China has significantly expanded supplies of drone components, dual-use goods, and satellite intelligence to Russia, while Russia has transferred advanced military technologies — including Ka-52 attack helicopter contracts and weapons production know-how — to Chinese defence firms. Both countries deny a formal military alliance, but their coordination continues to deepen.
Economically, Russia has become a critical energy supplier to China, with Chinese LNG imports from Russia nearly quadrupling between 2019 and 2025. China has also been purchasing Russian crude oil at scale, accounting for close to 20% of its total energy imports. In December 2025, China became the first buyer of LNG from Russia's sanctioned Portovaya plant, signalling Beijing's willingness to circumvent Western restrictions.
The partnership is rooted in a shared desire to challenge US-led global order. At the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Beijing, Xi called on member states to resist "Cold War mentality and bullying practices," while Putin received a red-carpet welcome. The two countries align closely on issues including Taiwan, Ukraine diplomacy, and opposition to Western sanctions regimes, coordinating their positions at the UN Security Council.
Although China and Russia were Cold War allies, they split bitterly in 1961 and remained rivals for decades. The relationship was gradually rebuilt after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, formalised by the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation in 2001. Western sanctions following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea accelerated the pivot towards Beijing, and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 dramatically intensified Chinese-Russian economic and strategic ties.
The China-Russia relationship is one of the defining stories in global affairs, with implications for security in Europe, Asia, and the Arctic. Our NewsNow feed on China-Russia relations keeps you up to date with the latest developments in trade, military cooperation, diplomacy, and the Ukraine war, drawing on a wide range of reliable sources around the clock.