Xinhua News Agency, the state outlet that conveys the position of the Chinese government, emphasized friendship by likening China·Russia relations to “a mountain unshaken by wind and rain” ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting China. This contrasts with the warning-laden commentary it issued just before U.S. President Donald Trump visited China.

On the 17th (local time), Xinhua issued a commentary saying that President Putin will pay a state visit to China on the 19-20 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that “amid a complexly intertwined international situation, bilateral relations will always remain as firm as a mountain unshaken by wind and rain, providing stability and certainty to the world.”

Xinhua also emphasized that this year marks the 30th anniversary of establishing the China-Russia ‘strategic cooperative partnership’ and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the ‘China·Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation’. It highlighted the ties between the two top leaders, noting that Xi and President Putin have “maintained close communication and engaged in warm and candid exchanges.”

It also listed economic outcomes. Xinhua reported that bilateral trade has exceeded 200 billion dollars for three consecutive years, stating that “Chinese-brand cars are running on Russian streets, and high-quality Russian agricultural products are entering households across China.” It added that people-to-people exchanges have become more active thanks to the visa-free policy.

It also underscored that China and Russia are moving in step in their perception of the international situation. Xinhua assessed that “the current global landscape is entangled in rapid change and turbulence, the post-World War II international order·norms have been severely hit, and intensifying geopolitical clashes have put the world at real risk of sliding back into the law of the jungle.”

It went on to stress that “as responsible major powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China·Russia are working to ensure that the international community upholds fairness and justice and firmly safeguards the UN-centered international system and the basic norms of international law.”

This tone differs markedly from the Xinhua commentary issued ahead of President Trump visiting China. On the 12th, Xinhua specified issues such as Taiwan as ‘four red lines’ for the summit with President Trump and warned that “one must never harbor the illusion that one can interfere in the internal affairs of China and damage the interests of China while expecting China to cooperate on agendas the United States cares about.”

The U.S. foreign affairs magazine The Diplomat assessed on the 14th that “while the U.S.·China summit is an important step toward a stable relationship, the China·Russia summit will appear even more active, at least in terms of the frequency and scope of bilateral dialogue.”

The Kremlin said that Xi and President Putin “are scheduled to exchange views on major international and regional issues” at their summit. This appears to refer to matters such as the U.S.·China summit agenda and the wars in Ukraine·Iran. In addition, China and Russia agricultural trade and the ‘Power of Siberia 2 project’ (a pipeline that transports natural gas from the Yamal Peninsula in western Siberia to northern China) also appear likely to be discussed.