Putin and Xi Invoke Wartime Unity as They Hail Ties in Beijing

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The Russian and Chinese leaders drew on a shared view of their countries’ roles in World War II to cast their modern-day partnership as a challenge to the West.

Men in suits are seated at a table on either side of a conference room.

Sept. 2, 2025, 7:24 a.m. ET

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday said his country’s ties with China were at an “unprecedented” high as he met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in a display of unity that they presented as a counterweight to the West.

Mr. Xi hosted Mr. Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the two held formal talks, as well as afternoon tea and a banquet. The Chinese leader said that relations between the countries had “withstood the test of a changing international situation and set an example for relations between major countries.”

Mr. Xi also signaled that Beijing would continue to align itself closely with Moscow on issues of shared interest.

One way in which the two countries have lately been in sync has been in how they have depicted history. Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin have echoed each other’s version of World War II and the role their countries played in ending it.

Their meeting came on the eve of a military parade to be held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event is intended as an elaborate display of China’s military might and expanding global influence at a time when President Trump’s tariffs are alienating U.S. allies and rivals alike. More than two dozen leaders are expected to attend the parade, including the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran.

The parade is the highlight of a monthslong campaign by China featuring speeches, films and television specials to put forward a version of the war that centers the Chinese Communist Party’s role in the fight against Japan. (Many historians believe it was the Chinese Nationalists, not the Communists, who did most of the fighting.)