China and Russia used their May 20 summit in Beijing to warn against a fragmented international order while extending the treaty underpinning their bilateral relationship. President Xi Jinping hosted President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People, where the leaders held talks and issued statements on strategic cooperation and a multipolar world.
Reuters reported that their joint declaration criticised Washington's planned Golden Dome missile-defence system and its nuclear policy. The declaration argued that the proposed ground- and space-based interceptor network threatened strategic stability. It also criticised the lapse of the treaty limiting Russian and American nuclear arsenals. Those were the two governments' positions, not findings by an international security body.
According to China's Foreign Ministry account of the talks, the leaders witnessed the signing of 20 cooperation documents covering fields including trade, education, science and technology. Officials also presented progress reports on investment, energy, regional cooperation and relations between northeast China and Russia's Far East. The agenda included transportation, resources and innovation.
The treaty extension came in the twenty-fifth anniversary year of the 2001 agreement. In his subsequent press appearance, Xi said bilateral trade had exceeded $200 billion for three successive years and had grown by nearly 20 per cent in the first four months of 2026. These figures were presented by the Chinese president as evidence of expanding commercial ties.
The leaders also launched an education-focused programme for 2026 and 2027, with student exchanges, cooperation between universities and research institutions, and joint scientific work among its stated priorities. Xi described closer educational links as part of maintaining the relationship beyond government-to-government contacts.
Energy remained prominent in the Russian account. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said China wanted longer-term Russian oil supplies and larger volumes, Reuters reported, adding that shipments had risen 10 per cent in four months. The summit thus paired opposition to American security initiatives with specific commercial and institutional commitments between Moscow and Beijing.
