Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China on May 19-20 took place at the dual milestones of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. It signaled ongoing emphasis placed by both countries on promoting the development of China-Russia relations.

With deepening political mutual trust and frequent high-level exchanges, the two countries have not only established the routine of annual visits between heads of state, but also formed regular meetings between prime ministers, a parliamentary cooperation committee as well as mechanisms for exchanges and cooperation in areas such as energy, investment, culture, economy and trade, local collaboration, strategic security and law enforcement. On the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, China and Russia have established the most stable, mature and strategically significant bilateral relationship among major countries in the world.

Economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia has continued to strengthen. In 2025, their trade volume exceeded $200 billion for the third consecutive year, and China remained Russia's largest trading partner for the 16th consecutive year. In the first four months this year, bilateral trade increased 19.7 percent year on year, with 99 percent of the bilateral trade paid with their national currencies.

Behind these numbers lies the high degree of complementarity and integration of the two countries' economies. From traditional energy cooperation to emerging fields such as high technology, AI and green and low-carbon development, China-Russia cooperation is steadily gaining better structure and more participants and entering a wider range of areas. Since the two countries began implementing a reciprocal 30-day visa-free regime for ordinary passport holders in 2025, personnel exchanges between China and Russia have been more convenient, promoting practical cooperation across many fields.

Putin's visit to China followed closely on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit, with the heads of state or government of the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council now having visited China in the last six months. This highlights China's emerging role as a global stabilizer and facilitator of dialogue. Against the backdrop of accelerating global change, Putin's visit not only reaffirmed the high quality of China-Russia relations, but also strengthened the cohesion of China-Russia cooperation.