Russia-China Strategic Alliance Sends Serious Warning to Trump

Presidents Putin and Xi called for adapting the international architecture to the realities of the 21st century.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a serious warning to the United States with a strategic declaration in which they condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s containment policy, trade war, and the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe and Asia.

During their meeting at the Kremlin, Putin and Xi affirmed that their alliance, which they described as a “stabilizing factor” in times of geopolitical uncertainty, is not directed against any specific country.

The Chinese leader’s visit to Russia on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany was a demonstration that, despite the recent rapprochement between Trump and Putin, the United States has been unable to fracture Chinese-Russian relations.

Putin and Xi called for abandoning the Western bloc mentality characteristic of the Cold War, opposing the rehabilitation of Nazism, and adapting the international architecture to the realities of the 21st century in a way that reflects the balance of power among all members of the global community.

Double Containment Policy

After their morning meeting, Putin and Xi approved two political declarations reflecting the tensions between the Moscow-Beijing axis and the Washington-Brussels axis.

The parties “intend to expand cooperation and strengthen coordination in order to firmly counter Washington’s ‘double containment’ policy toward Russia and China,” the document states, criticizing the Iron Dome missile defense system and warning of the risk of nuclear conflict.

China’s concerns about NATO’s expansion into the Asia-Pacific region were reflected in the text, in which Putin and Xi deemed this development “extremely negative for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region.”

In this regard, they asserted that U.S. and U.K. plans to create military infrastructure in Australia (referring to the AUKUS trilateral alliance) would only “provoke an arms race in the region.”

Implicitly referring to the United States, Putin and Xi warned that the expansion of certain nuclear powers deploying short- and medium-range missiles threatens the core interests of other countries that also possess strategic arsenals, such as Russia and China.

Diatribe Against Trade Barriers

In a clear message to Trump, Russia and China denounced “unjust” trade tariffs, unfair competition, protectionist measures, and unilateral sanctions.

“The imposition of unjustified tariffs by certain states against their trading partners violates the rights and interests of other states and the World Trade Organization… which threatens global stability,” the declaration stated, noting that such “discriminatory” measures negatively impact the global economy and food and energy security.

Regarding asset freezes—of which Russia is currently a target—both nations defended the right to take reciprocal measures under international law.

On Thursday, Russia and China signed an agreement to promote and protect investments. Putin welcomed Chinese car and microchip manufacturers and promised that Gazprom would meet China’s gas needs even beyond the limits set by bilateral contracts.

Finally, the joint declaration signed by Xi and Putin upholds the concept of “indivisible security,” which holds that one country cannot ensure its own security at the expense of another. This concept has been invoked by Russia to justify its special military campaign in Ukraine.