China-Russia: axis of adversaries

In the influential Chinese newspaper Global Times, the English-language version of People’s Daily—the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China—a new article has appeared. It is written by Wang Qi, the director of the Institute for Strategic Cooperation between China and Russia at Tsinghua University, and is titled “Xi holds talks with Putin, calls for guiding China-Russia ties toward greater heights.” The article’s subheading states: “Mutual trust, close strategic coordination highlighted in 1st interaction in 2025.”

It is worth noting that while Chinese leader Xi Jinping tries to present the People’s Republic of China as a neutral state on the international stage, standing aside from Russia’s war in Ukraine, Beijing does not hide its true strategic plans regarding Russia for domestic audiences. Today, China is using Moscow as a lever to dismantle the existing world order, while “Great Xi” pretends that China has nothing to do with it.

At the very beginning of the article, published in the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping’s goals for his political vassal, Putin, in 2025 are emphasized. The article starts as follows: “Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Russian President Putin via video conference as both leaders celebrated bilateral relations during their first meeting in 2025. Xi urged both sides to consolidate and expand bilateral relations and to insist on deepening the development of practical cooperation.”

It is not difficult to guess what lies behind Xi Jinping’s call to “consolidate and expand bilateral relations and insist on deepening the development of practical cooperation.” By “practically cooperating” with Russia, China is directing Putin toward the destruction of Ukraine, seeing 2025 as a perfectly acceptable date for the “historic mission” that the Russian dictator has undertaken.

Wang Qi states: “Chinese experts believe that the virtual meeting highlights the high level of strategic mutual trust and close strategic coordination between the two countries. Unlike some Western countries, which define their strategic relations based on external rivals and alliances, China-Russia cooperation is not aimed at any third party. The deepening of China-Russia ties has a strong endogenous momentum.”

"Claiming that “China-Russia cooperation is not aimed at any third party” is pure hypocrisy. If it were not for the support from China, North Korea, and Iran, Russia’s war in Ukraine could have ended more than a year ago. However, Beijing is betting that with China’s backing, Putin will succeed in securing a victory. After that, China will be able to resolve the issue of rebellious Taiwan."

This is not the first attempt by China and Russia (the self-proclaimed successor of the USSR) to unite and try to undermine the leading role of the collective West on the international stage. In the past, Moscow and Beijing have already allied under the banner of monolithic communism to destroy the current world order. And while much could be said about former U.S. President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, they at least temporarily dismantled this threat. The Soviet-Chinese alliance did not withstand the test of time—just as the false alliance between war criminals Hitler and Stalin eventually collapsed.

Further in the Global Times, it is stated: “Xi emphasized that in the new year, he is ready to work with Putin to continue guiding China-Russia relations to greater heights, to handle the uncertainty of the external environment through the stability and resilience of China-Russia relations, to jointly promote the development and revival of both countries, and to uphold international integrity and justice.”

If Xi Jinping believes that “handling the uncertainty of the external environment” and “upholding international integrity and justice” means supporting Putin in the destruction of Ukraine’s statehood, then he is gravely mistaken. By pretending to build a multipolar world, Beijing and Moscow will not achieve global hegemony.

"Sooner or later, the countries that consider themselves part of the Global South will begin to realize that without the technologies and scientific achievements of the Global North, they will not be able to remain competitive in the 21st century. The deceptive game of “equality for all” that Russia and China clumsily present to them could lead not only to economic but also to political catastrophic dependence on these self-proclaimed candidates for superpower status."

Global Times emphasizes: “Xi called on both sides to continue deepening strategic coordination, strengthening mutual support, and defending the legitimate interests of both countries, stating that China and Russia must consolidate and expand bilateral relations and promote the deepening of practical cooperation… Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told Global Times that the ongoing interactions between Russian and Chinese leaders demonstrate a high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries, highlighting that strategic coordination between the two countries in addressing regional and global issues is close and productive.”

When China and Russia speak of “mutual support and the protection of the legitimate interests of both countries” and “strategic coordination in addressing regional and global issues,” they are referring to their goal of regional and global domination. This confirms their overtly hegemonic imperial ambitions. China and Russia seek to establish a new world order in which Russia’s attempt to absorb Ukraine is merely the beginning of this geopolitical tandem’s expansion into the European continent.

Later, Global Times writes: “During the dialogue, Xi Jinping noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victories in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. China and Russia must jointly defend the UN-centered international system and the outcomes of World War II… China and Russia should use this opportunity to jointly protect the UN-centered international system and the victory of World War II, promote compliance by all countries with the goals and principles of the UN Charter, uphold universally recognized fundamental norms governing international relations, and practice genuine multilateralism,” Xi emphasized.

At this point, the Global Times article can be seen as a manifesto of two dictatorial totalitarian regimes that, at any cost, seek to reshape the world to serve their hegemonic revisionist ambitions. What “China-Russia” attempts to present as the construction of a new world order under the auspices of the UN is, in reality, nothing more than an attempt to subjugate the United Nations itself. And they do this while using the countries of the Global South as silent extras in this dubious geopolitical spectacle.

Although China and Russia claim to be building a multipolar world where all nations will be treated equally, as envisioned by the UN, in reality, neither China nor the Russian Federation should have a seat on the UN Security Council. Both states violate countless United Nations laws daily, not to mention Russia’s genocide against the Ukrainian people and China’s genocide against the Uyghurs and Tibetans.

"Xi Jinping is determined to lead the world at any cost. In this, Putin serves as an irreplaceable accomplice—one who fails to grasp that by aligning with China, he is putting Russia in a precarious position. Beijing harbors significant territorial claims against the Russian Federation, which still exists within its current borders—at least for now."

Xi sees the People’s Republic of China as a distinct Chinese civilization. Those in America and Europe who purchase goods labeled Made in China must understand that they are financing the hegemonic ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s military-industrial complex, and its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Just as Europe has largely managed to wean itself off Russian energy resources, it should also take decisive steps to reduce the flow of Chinese-made products onto the European continent. One cannot finance those who seek to destroy them while pretending they are offering help.

“China-Russia” seeks to seize control not only over the Arctic but over the entire world. First, they lay claim to the oil, gas, and mineral resources in the Arctic, which Moscow has already counted as part of its mythical “Russian world.” If the United States and Europe fail to respond accordingly, Putin’s next move will be to “defend these historically Russian territories” from the treacherous West, which, according to the Kremlin, is attempting to take what rightfully belongs to the Russian Federation.

The Arctic cooperation between Russia and China is far more dangerous than it may seem at first glance. If they illegally seize resources to which they have no legitimate right, Moscow and Beijing plan to use them as leverage to subjugate the entire world.

"At one time, the collective West failed to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian Crimea and Donbas through joint efforts. This inaction provoked the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation in February 2022. A similar failure in the Arctic could easily trigger World War III—a reality that must be taken into account now."

However, China is not interested in Soviet-era technologies from Putin—those have long been transferred to the PRC by the Russian dictator. What Beijing truly seeks are Russia’s natural resources and the territories where they lie. Once a superpower during the Soviet era, Russia, after 25 years of rule by an autocrat, now relies on drones from Iran, subpar missiles, and troops from North Korea—and now even on Chinese technologies.

As a result of Russia’s bloody war in Ukraine, China has gained a weakened Russia, a stable northern border, direct pipelines for cheap Russian gas, and access to discounted oil. However, an article in Global Times suggests that China is looking to raise the price Russia must pay for its support in the war against Ukraine.

The geopolitical symbiosis of these two totalitarian states has led to a situation where Russia and China have learned to weaponize their mutual dependence against the West. Thus, the most urgent task for democratic nations is to dismantle this criminal alliance, which is intent on destroying the existing world order.

It is clear that after the Russia-Ukraine war, the global order will never return to what it was before February 24, 2022. However, under no circumstances should Beijing and Moscow be allowed to impose their distorted version of world order—a system where brute force rules, where larger nations seize territories from weaker states, all while claiming that such actions are merely necessary for securing their own borders.

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About the author: Viktor Kaspruk, journalist.

The editorial team doesn’t always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.