Beijing. President Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, just three days after the Russian leader’s summit with Donald Trump in Helsinki. The meeting, described by both sides as a routine exchange, has drawn close scrutiny from British intelligence agencies, who see it as evidence of a deepening strategic alignment between China and Russia.
The visit, Putin’s first to China since his re-election in March, was heavy on symbolism. The two leaders embraced, exchanged state gifts, and presided over the signing of a dozen bilateral agreements, including deals on energy, infrastructure, and technology. In their joint statement, they reaffirmed a “comprehensive partnership” and pledged to coordinate on global issues from North Korea to Syria.
But behind the cordiality, Western analysts detect a more calculated purpose. The timing is significant. Trump’s Helsinki press conference, in which he appeared to question US intelligence assessments and sided with Putin on election interference, has unsettled European allies. For Beijing and Moscow, it may have presented an opportunity to test the cohesion of the Western alliance.
“The Kremlin and Zhongnanhai are watching closely,” said a senior British intelligence source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “We see this as a coordinated effort to exploit transatlantic tensions. The Chinese are offering economic lifelines to Russia while drawing on Moscow’s military experience to modernise their own forces.”
British assessments, shared with NATO partners this week, highlight several areas of concern. The two countries have increased joint military exercises, including naval drills in the Baltic and South China Seas. Russia has begun supplying advanced fighter jet technology to China, while China has become Russia’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade expected to reach $100bn this year.
There is also the question of influence in Central Asia. Both nations are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which they have used to marginalise Western involvement in the region. Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative now overlaps with Moscow’s Eurasian Economic Union, creating a de facto economic bloc that rivals Western-led institutions.
MI6 has long monitored the Sino-Russian relationship, but the pace of cooperation has accelerated since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which prompted Western sanctions. China stepped in as a buyer of Russian energy and a source of investment, insulating Putin from the worst of the economic pain.
Thursday’s talks covered energy and finance. The two sides discussed a shift away from the US dollar in bilateral trade, a move that would diminish American influence over global payments systems. They also agreed to deepen cooperation on 5G technology, a sensitive area given US efforts to exclude Huawei from Western networks.
Publicly, Chinese officials deny any intention to form an anti-Western alliance. “China and Russia are major powers with independent foreign policies,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at a briefing. “Our cooperation is not directed against any third party.”
The Kremlin echoed the line. “We are building a multipolar world,” said Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “This is natural for two sovereign states.”
Yet the strategic reality is more layered. For China, Russia is a source of energy and a counterweight to American dominance in Asia. For Russia, China offers economic relief and a partner in challenging Western norms. Both share a hostility to the liberal international order that Britain and the United States champion.
Downing Street has urged caution. A spokesperson said Britain “supports dialogue” but warned that “any attempt to divide the West will be met with a unified response.” The sentiment was echoed in Washington, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US would “hold both Moscow and Beijing accountable for actions that undermine global stability.”
For now, the intelligence community is watching. The Xi-Putin summit may not herald a formal alliance, but it deepens the ties that bind two authoritarian powers. In the corridors of Whitehall, the message is clear: the Sino-Russian axis is no longer a matter of hypothesis. It is a fact of international life.
