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Björn Alexander Düben, an expert in Russia-China relations at China’s Jilin University, thinks Xi’s visit has a “highly symbolic element,” noting that, apart from Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, Xi was the only major world leader to attend the parade.

Düben noted a “personal rapport” between the two leaders and described how Xi “devotes more time to his interaction with Putin than practically any other international leader.”

Russia needs China more than ever

As Western sanctions choke Russia’s economy over the Ukraine war, Moscow increasingly counts on Beijing as a lifeline for energy and raw material exports.

China has risen to become Russia’s top economic partner, with bilateral trade soaring to $244 billion (€216 billion) last year. In February 2022, the two countries signed a “no limits” economic, military, and diplomatic partnership to counter Western influence.

Since the war’s onset, Russia’s exports to China have skyrocketed by 63% to $129.3 billion, while Chinese imports have helped bolster Moscow’s wartime economy, binding the two nations closer than ever.

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Russia is now China’s top source of crude oil imports, supplying around a fifth of imports.

The two powers have also tightened military bonds, ramping up joint war games and sharing cutting-edge defense technologies.

While Russia’s economy has proven more resilient to Western sanctions than most experts had expected, without China’s economic support, Moscow would be in a “deep mess,” Düben [said].

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China’s support props up war effort

As well as the expanded energy trade, Düben said China has given Russia access to manufactured goods and technologies that it cannot produce and that Western states no longer export to Russia.

The Yilin University associate professor said that without China’s dual-use goods (civilian and military), “Russia’s armed forces would probably not be able to continue their military campaign against Ukraine.”

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