Xi and Putin Sign Declaration for Multipolar World Order

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a joint declaration in Beijing that advocates for building a “multipolar world and a new type of international relations,” along with a large package of deals solidifying bilateral cooperation.

The meeting occurred days after U.S. President Donald Trump completed his own two-day summit with Xi in China.

Key statements from Beijing and Moscow addressed five central issues following the Russia-China summit, as detailed below.

On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: “The two countries will also issue a joint statement on advocating for a multipolar world and a new type of international relations.” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described this declaration as a 47-page policy document.

A “multipolar world” is understood as one in which economic, military and diplomatic power and influence are distributed among three or more countries, rather than just one or two.

“Xi is calling for a more multipolar world, where the US has less power and influence,” Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reported from Beijing as the meeting was under way.

Both Putin and Xi have spoken out against the “unipolar” hegemony that they say the U.S. holds over the world.

In 2022, shortly after Russia’s war with Ukraine began, Putin accused the U.S. of stoking hostilities in Ukraine to maintain its global influence.

“They need conflicts to retain their hegemony,” Putin said during a speech. “The era of the unipolar world order is nearing its end.”

Chinese state media reported that during the latest meeting, Xi told Putin: “The tide of unilateral hegemony is running rampant.”

A press statement on the Kremlin website said relations between Russia and China have reached “a truly unprecedented level and continue to develop.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said: “Both sides should follow the trend of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win results to promote higher-quality development of China-Russia relations.”

Bilateral cooperation extends to economics, sport, education and the media, the statements added.

The Kremlin statement noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of partnership between Russian news agency TASS and China’s Xinhua news agency.

The Kremlin statement said Beijing and Moscow signed around 40 intergovernmental, interagency and corporate documents. “Many of these focus on the further deepening of our economic cooperation,” it noted.

The statement added that trade between the two countries reached nearly $240 billion last year, while the Chinese statement said bilateral trade grew by 20 percent in the first four months of this year.

Since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, Russia has become increasingly reliant on Chinese technology and manufacturing. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Russia now imports over 90 percent of the technology targeted by U.S. and European Union sanctions via China, using Chinese suppliers and intermediaries to obtain components with military and dual-use applications vital to drone production and other defense industries.

“Both sides should build on this momentum, deepen the alignment of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Russia’s development strategy until 2030, promote the upgrading of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, and serve the development and revitalization of both countries,” the Chinese ministry statement said.

The Kremlin statement said that nearly all import and export transactions between Russia and China are conducted in roubles and yuan. “In other words, we have actually created a stable system of mutual trade that is protected from external influence and negative trends in the global markets,” it said.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that an understanding had been reached on the route and construction of the long-delayed joint Siberia 2 pipeline, but details remain under negotiation.

Once completed, the pipeline will transport 50 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to China via Mongolia, significantly expanding energy flows between the two countries.

The Kremlin statement said Russia and China are actively cooperating in the energy sector.

“Our country is one of the largest exporters of oil, natural gas (including LNG) and coal to China. We are definitely ready to continue to ensure reliable and uninterrupted supplies of these types of fuel to the rapidly growing Chinese market,” the statement said.

As European markets have largely closed to Russia due to the war in Ukraine, China has become a crucial buyer of Russian oil and other energy products, benefiting from steep discounts on Russian products.

In December 2022, the Group of Seven (G7), the European Union and Australia placed a price cap on Russian oil at $60 per barrel, ostensibly to reduce Russia’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine. The cap was later reduced to around $48 by the EU and the United Kingdom.

Both statements said Xi and Putin agreed to expand student exchange programs and cooperation between universities and research platforms to boost joint scientific research.