Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a direct political message to Washington from Beijing after condemning Trump’s plan to build a land- and space-based missile defense system called the Golden Dome.
The position came in a joint statement issued during a high-level Chinese-Russian summit following an official reception for Putin at the Great Hall of the People, shortly after Trump’s visit to Beijing.
Details
- The Chinese-Russian statement described the “Golden Dome” as a clear threat to global strategic stability and warned that it could accelerate the transformation of outer space into a battlefield.
- Moscow and Beijing believe the American plan aims to create a global, multi-layered missile defense system capable of intercepting different types of missiles at multiple stages of flight.
- Both sides argued that the project undermines the principle of balance between strategic offensive weapons and defensive systems — a core concept in nuclear deterrence calculations.
- Xi and Putin criticized what they called irresponsible American policy following the expiration of the 2010 New START treaty without a replacement agreement.
- Russia backed China’s refusal to join any potential future nuclear arms limitation talks between Washington and Moscow.
- The statement also warned against plans to deploy intermediate-range ground missiles near conflict zones and against military doctrines based on preventive or preemptive strikes aimed at disabling an opponent’s leadership and disarming it.
- The summit included the signing of several cooperation agreements between China and Russia in trade, technology, energy, and media as part of what both countries describe as a comprehensive strategic partnership.
- Putin said relations between the two countries had reached an unprecedented level, while both sides reaffirmed support for each other on issues of sovereignty and national unity.
- The summit discussed the “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline project, which Moscow hopes will expand gas exports to China after losing a large portion of the European market because of sanctions.
- Despite talk of general understanding on the project, no final contract was announced, and issues such as pricing and implementation timelines remain unsettled.
- The meeting came only days after Xi hosted Trump in Beijing, giving China an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to balance relations with both Washington and Moscow during a single week of intense diplomacy.
- At the same time as the summit, Russia released footage of nuclear drills involving the loading of nuclear warheads onto mobile Iskander-M missile systems in Russia and Belarus, sending an escalatory signal amid the ongoing missile defense dispute.
What’s Next?
The summit confirms that China and Russia want to turn their disagreements with Washington from separate disputes into a broader strategic front covering missile defense, space, nuclear deterrence, and energy. However, the lack of a breakthrough on Power of Siberia 2 also shows that while their partnership is politically strong, it remains constrained by difficult calculations when money and energy interests are involved.
