China and Russia are ‘true friends tempered by fire’, Xi Jinping tells Kremlin aide

The Chinese leader also calls for closer coordination as he meets security chief Sergei Shoigu amid thawing ties between Russia and the US

Reading Time:2 minutes

Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Beijing on Friday. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:05pm, 28 Feb 2025Updated: 9:15pm, 28 Feb 2025

Chinese President Xi Jinping told senior Kremlin aide Sergei Shoigu on Friday that the two countries were “true friends like steel repeatedly tempered by fire”, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

“Both sides should continue to strengthen their coordination in international and regional matters,” Xi told the secretary of Russia’s Security Council.

He added he had discussed a number of important issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year and urged both sides to work together to implement their agreements.

Shoigu’s visit came amid a warming in relations between the United States and Russia, which has prompted speculation over how it will affect Moscow’s relationship with China, which has grown stronger since the start of the Ukraine war.

Earlier this week, Russian and US officials met in Turkey to discuss efforts to normalise ties, and the previous week Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Saudi Arabia, where they discussed ways to end the war.

Officials have also said a face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Putin is being arranged.

During their meeting, Shoigu told Xi that the relations between the two sides were at “an unprecedentedly high level”, adding that Russia valued the agreements it had reached with China and aimed to deepen them.