Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow for 4-Day Visit to Attend Russia’s Victory Day Military Parade

Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow for 4-Day Visit to Attend Russia’s Victory Day Military Parade
Moscow, May 7, 2025 – Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to begin a four-day visit to Russia on Wednesday, a trip seen as a significant diplomatic endorsement for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit comes at a time when Putin is eager to demonstrate that Russia is not isolated on the global stage.

This marks Xi’s 11th visit to Russia as president and includes a China-Russia summit. Key agenda items include discussions on the energy sector and the proposed new gas pipeline “Power of Siberia 2.”

China has already extended economic support to Russia amid Western sanctions and has become Russia’s largest trading partner. China is also the biggest purchaser of Russian oil and gas.

Amid an ongoing trade war with the United States, China is expected to sign agreements to further strengthen its “no-limits strategic partnership” with Russia during this visit.

In an article published in a Russian newspaper, Xi wrote, “China and Russia must firmly defend the post-war international order.” He also stated, “China and Russia have always strongly supported each other’s core interests and major concerns.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, “This visit is one of the central events in Russia-China relations.”

In February, Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg remarked that Washington would try to undermine Russia’s closeness with allies such as China. Days later, Xi and Putin reaffirmed their “no-limits partnership.”

Yun Sun, an analyst at the Stimson Center in Washington, said, “Both countries now want to showcase their unbreakable friendship and prove that the U.S.’s ‘reverse Nixon’ strategy will not succeed.”

Xi to Join Military Parade
On Thursday, Xi Jinping will hold talks with President Putin, and on Friday, he will join world leaders at Moscow’s Red Square for the Victory Day military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Beijing and the Kremlin have confirmed that Chinese troops will also participate in the parade.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has called on other nations to abstain from participating, arguing that such involvement contradicts their declared neutrality. Nonetheless, Xi is set to attend. Beijing and the Kremlin claim Ukraine has issued threats targeting the event—an allegation Kyiv denies.

Kremlin senior adviser Yuri Ushakov said the event is being treated as a summit-level occasion and reflects Russia’s growing global stature.

Analyst Yun Sun noted, “This WWII-centric event is symbolically about the post-war global order. China and Russia are presenting themselves as defenders of the UN-based international order, opposing unilateral U.S. dominance.”