In May 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s high-profile visit to Moscow for Russia’s Victory Day parade — commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany — sent shockwaves across the geopolitical landscape. The visit, Xi’s 11th to Russia since assuming leadership in 2012, underscored the deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia. This visit occurred as US President Donald Trump was touring the Middle East, introducing new dynamics and seeking to promote regional stability and prosperity. The juxtaposition of these two high-profile trips underscores competing visions of global leadership and reveals the delicate balancing act nations face in navigating an increasingly polarized international landscape.
Xi’s arrival in Moscow on May 7, 2025, was marked by pomp and ceremony, with Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting him as a “dear friend” at the Kremlin. The visit, timed to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, was more than a ceremonial gesture. It was a deliberate display of solidarity between two powers seeking to counterbalance US influence amid escalating global tensions. The leaders issued a joint statement condemning US tariffs and “unilateral illegitimate restrictive measures,” pledging to deepen their “no limits” partnership established in February 2022, just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
For Russia, Xi’s presence was a diplomatic coup. Hosting over two dozen world leaders, including Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Putin used the occasion to project Russia’s global relevance despite Western sanctions over the Russia-Ukraine war. Xi’s role as the “main guest” at the Red Square parade amplified this narrative, framing China and Russia as defenders of a multipolar world order against US hegemony. Their discussions covered sensitive issues, including energy cooperation and the stalled Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which is critical for Russia to offset lost European markets.
However, the visit was not without complications. Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, which disrupted airport operations and forced the rerouting of at least one world leader’s flight, underscored the ongoing war’s volatility. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry criticized foreign leaders attending the parade, arguing their participation undermined claims of neutrality. Kyiv also accused China of indirectly supporting Russia’s war effort, citing the capture of two Chinese mercenaries in Ukraine’s Donetsk region in April 2025.
While Xi and Putin cemented their alliance in Moscow, Trump’s simultaneous tour of the Middle East introduced a contrasting dynamic. Trump’s visit, part of his broader effort to reshape US foreign policy, aimed to bolster ties with key allies like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar while advancing his “America First” agenda. Trump’s engagements in the Middle East were primarily driven by the pursuit of economic and security agreements, with discussions reportedly centered on managing the Iranian issue, ensuring energy security and advancing opportunities for US businesses.
Unlike Xi’s carefully choreographed Moscow visit, Trump’s approach was transactional, prioritizing unilateral action over multilateral cooperation. His tariff war, described by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as “unilateral bullying,” has alienated parts of the Global South and Europe, creating an opening for China to present itself as a stable alternative. Xi’s concurrent Southeast Asia tour, where he signed over numerous economic agreements with Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, capitalized on this discontent, positioning China as a reliable partner amid trade tensions with Washington.
Xi’s Moscow visit and Trump’s Middle East tour encapsulate divergent approaches to global leadership. Trump’s approach, characterized by transactional diplomacy and a focus on economic interests, stood in contrast to Xi’s emphasis on historical commemoration and strategic alignment. China and Russia’s partnership is rooted in mutual necessity: Russia relies on China as an economic lifeline to evade Western sanctions, while China views Russia as a critical ally in its rivalry with the United States. Their joint rejection of US containment policies reflects a shared goal of upending the US-led global order, a vision Xi articulated in 2023.
Yet, Xi’s rapprochement with Putin carries risks. By standing alongside Russia during its war in Ukraine, China undermines its efforts to court Europe and parts of Asia, where skepticism of Beijing’s intentions runs high. European leaders, wary of China’s support for Russia, have expressed reluctance to fully embrace Xi’s overtures, despite his calls for joint opposition to US tariffs. Meanwhile, the tightening Russia-North Korea defense pact, signed in 2024, raises concerns in Beijing about instability on its borders, complicating Xi’s strategic calculus.
Trump’s Middle East visit, by contrast, reinforces his administration’s focus on transactional diplomacy. His push for a Ukraine peace deal, which Putin has resisted, and his threats of escalation if Moscow does not comply, highlight the fragility of US-Russia relations. Some in Washington had hoped for a “reverse Nixon” strategy to peel Russia away from China, but Xi’s and Putin’s display of unity in Moscow has largely dashed those prospects. Trump’s tariffs, while aimed at rebalancing trade, risk alienating allies and driving neutral nations toward China’s orbit, as seen in Malaysia’s vocal support for Beijing.
The simultaneous events in Moscow and the Middle East underscore a world at a crossroads. Xi’s visit to Russia signals a deepening Sino-Russian axis, but it also exposes Beijing’s vulnerability in its attempt to balance global leadership ambitions with its strategic alignment with a wartime Russia — a posture that undermines its credibility in Europe and exposes it to potential entanglement in Moscow’s conflicts. Trump’s Middle East tour, meanwhile, highlights the United States’ ability to disrupt global markets and alliances but also its isolation when unilateral policies alienate partners.
For the Global South, caught between these powers, the choice is not binary. Countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, while welcoming Chinese investment, remain cautious of over-reliance on Beijing and seek to maintain ties with Washington. The EU, facing economic fallout from US tariffs, may find common ground with China on trade but remains wary of its strategic alignment with Russia. As Xi and Putin deepen their “friends of steel” partnership and Trump pursues an unpredictable foreign policy, the global order is being reshaped by competing visions of stability and power. Xi’s visit to Moscow, when considered alongside Trump’s renewed engagement in the Middle East, represents a critical juncture in the ongoing reconfiguration of the global order — an inflection point at which strategic alignments are being reassessed and the implications for international stability are particularly profound.
