Beijing signaled a renewed push to deepen economic and strategic cooperation with Moscow on Tuesday, as President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at the Great Hall of the People. Xi called for stepped-up two-way investment and pledged that China would continue strengthening ties with Russia despite what he described as a challenging and unpredictable international environment. The meeting followed talks the previous day in Hangzhou between Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who underscored Beijing’s intention to bolster joint security interests and expand practical cooperation across key sectors.
According to reports, President XI has underscored the importance of Mishustin’s visit, emphasizing that its primary objective is to protect, strengthen, and expand the partnership between Russia and China. he described the deepening cooperation as a “strategic choice,”.
China-Russia relations have stayed the course toward higher-level and higher-quality development, advancing steadily despite a turbulent external environment,President XI
In the end, the latest diplomatic push from Beijing comes in the wake of fresh sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States targeting Russia’s vital oil sector. These measures, aimed at further constraining Moscow’s energy revenue, have already prompted key buyers such as India and Turkey to sharply scale back purchases of Russian crude and diversify toward alternative suppliers in the Middle East and beyond. Analysts say the tightening pressure on Russia’s oil exports threatens to exacerbate the strain on its wartime economy, potentially limiting resources available to sustain its military operations in Ukraine. Beijing’s renewed engagement with Moscow, therefore, underscores China’s determination to shield its strategic partner from mounting Western economic pressure while securing critical energy supplies and reinforcing its own geopolitical position in a rapidly shifting global landscape.