Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin's meeting in Beijing on Thursday left no question of how closely the Chinese and Russian leaders are aligned in their vision for the world – and on bolstering the "powerful driving force" of their autocratic double act.
The two vowed to deepen their strategic partnership, and took aim at a United States they painted as a destabilizing aggressor.
In a sweeping 7,000-word joint statement outlining their shared view on issues from Taiwan to the war in Gaza, they proclaimed: "Russian-Chinese relations stand the test of rapid changes in the world, demonstrating strength and stability, and are experiencing the best period in their history."
The meeting made for a deeply incongruous split-screen. As Xi and Putin sipped tea from wicker chairs in manicured gardens of the official Zhongnanhai compound and discussed how to "promote world peace and common development," Ukrainian civilians called for evacuation from villages under assault from Russian forces.
Putin's two-day state visit comes as Western leaders have leant on Xi to ensure that soaring exports from his country aren't propping up the Russian war effort – a claim Beijing denies.
But even as Putin's pomp-filled welcome in the Chinese capital seemed to fly in the face of Western concerns about the partnership, Putin appeared to depart Beijing with few, publicly acknowledged gains — though it remains unclear what happened in discussions behind closed doors.
Here are some key takeaways from the meeting.
Taking aim at a US-led world order
Xi and Putin used their meetings and hefty statement to take aim at what they described as a global security system defined by US-backed military alliances – and pledged to work together to counter it.
"[We] intend to increase interaction and tighten coordination in order to counter Washington's destructive and hostile course towards the so-called 'dual containment' of our countries," the leaders pledged in their joint statement.
The joint statement also called on the US not to arm its allies with missile systems, and condemned US cooperation with allies as "extremely destabilizing."
The US considers China the "most serious long-term challenge to the international order," and Russia "a clear and present threat."
Growing military cooperation
While slamming US military alliances, the two leaders pledged to "deepen" military "trust and cooperation," saying they would expand joint exercises and combat training, regularly conduct joint sea and air patrols, and improve the "capabilities and level of joint response to challenges and threats."
The two nations have grown their military drills around the world in recent years, continuing after Russia launched its war in Ukraine in February 2022 – drawing concern from Western observers that the two US rivals are working to enhance their military interoperability.
Putin also traveled to Beijing with top security officials who the Russian president said Thursday would join informal talks on Ukraine.
Broad rhetoric, few concrete pledges
Despite the lofty rhetoric, information on any major deals brokered during the meeting was scant as Putin departed Beijing for the second day of the visit in northeastern China's Harbin.
Instead, the leaders in broad strokes pledged to "jointly promote the implementation of large-scale energy projects," while upping energy cooperation across oil, liquified natural gas, natural gas, coal and electricity.
They also called for strengthening industrial cooperation across a range of fields including civil aviation construction, electronics, chemical industry, shipbuilding and industrial equipment — pledges that, however vague, signpost more economic coordination in the years to come.
Keep reading key takeaways from Putin's two-day state visit.
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