Xi meets Russian State Duma chairman
China-Russia relations most stable, mature and strategically significant major-country relations in today's world: Xi
By
Zhao Yusha 8/27/25
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian parliament's lower house, the State Duma, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on August 26, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian parliament's lower house, the State Duma, in Beijing on Tuesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.Xi pointed out that China-Russia relations are the most stable, mature and strategically significant major-country relations in today's volatile and changing world.
Persistently promoting the high-level development of China-Russia relations is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples and is also the source of stability for world peace, he said.
"In May this year, I paid a state visit to Russia and attended the celebration to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union," Xi said, noting that next week, China will hold a grand event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
China and the Soviet Union, as the main battlefields of World War II in Asia and Europe, respectively, made immense national sacrifice in resisting the aggression of Japanese militarism and German Nazism, and greatly contributed to the victory of World War II, Xi said.
It is important that the two sides carry forward traditional friendship, deepen strategic mutual trust, strengthen exchanges and cooperation across the board, jointly safeguard their security and development interests, Xi said.
He called on the two sides to promote solidarity with other Global South countries, commit to true multilateralism, and work for a more just and equitable international order.
Xi emphasized that cooperation between legislative bodies is an indispensable part of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.
It is hoped that the two sides will actively share experience on governance and lawmaking in order to provide more robust legislative guarantees for China-Russia strategic coordination and comprehensive cooperation under the new circumstances, he said.
Volodin conveyed to President Xi the cordial greetings and best wishes from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He said that under the strategic guidance of the two presidents, the Russia-China relations have seen further development and yielded fruitful outcome.
The Russian State Duma is committed to acting in line with the important consensus between the two presidents, reinforcing exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies, and working hard to make the bilateral relationship even more productive, he noted.
Volodin said that eight decades ago, people in the Soviet Union and China made great contributions to the victory over fascism. Russia will join China in celebrating this hard-won victory, honoring fallen heroes, and working for a better future, he said.
Joint celebration
This high-level reception of the Russian State Duma chairman highlights the great importance China attaches to bilateral relations. The meeting also paves the way for Russia's participation in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, and possibly in the gathering to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War which is scheduled for September 3, Yang Jin, an associate research fellow from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
China and Russia share a consistent stance on the history of World War II, as well as on maintaining the post-World War II international order and multilateralism based on the United Nations, Cui Heng, a scholar at the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times.
Furthermore, China and Russia's fundamental principles and positions align on major international issues, with both nations seeking to uphold a more just and fair international order amid the current complex geopolitical climate, Cui added.
On Monday, Zhao Leji, chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, hosted the 10th meeting of the China-Russia committee for parliamentary cooperation with Volodin in Beijing.
Zhao urged close communication and coordination between the two sides within multilateral mechanisms, to resolutely defend the outcomes of the victory of WWII, promote a correct historical perspective on WWII, safeguard the UN-centered international system, practice true multilateralism and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, per Xinhua.
China and Russia's celebration of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War aims to counter the rising historical nihilism and challenge Western efforts to diminish the contributions of China and Russia during World War II, which seek to undermine our current international standing and deny our historical contribution, Cui said. He emphasized that resisting such nihilism is crucial, as it is a matter of respecting history and thwarting the West's attempts to tarnish our past.
At the regular Foreign Ministry press conference on Tuesday, a Global Times reporter asked the spokesperson to comment on reports alleging that diplomatic sources had claimed on Sunday that the Japanese government has called on European and Asian countries through diplomatic channels not to attend the September 3 commemorative activities and military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, citing the reason that the events have "anti-Japanese overtones."
In response, spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China has taken note of the reports and has lodged serious representations with Japan to demand clarification.
Guo pointed out that the Chinese government will host the commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War to remember history, honor the martyrs, cherish peace and usher in a brighter future.
Countries that face up to history honestly and sincerely, learn from history, and truly commit themselves to peaceful development will not have misgivings about the events or even raise objection, Guo said.
An article published on the PLA Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday said that the correct view of World War II history is the cornerstone for constructing post-war world peace.
However, certain Western countries manipulate ideology and public opinion through historical nihilism, double standards and narrative reconstruction, deliberately downplaying, distorting and even falsifying the Soviet Union's contributions during World War II. They attempt to undermine the just foundation of the post-war international order by distorting historical narratives, in an effort to maintain their global hegemonic status, the article noted.
Jointly defending intl order
In the phone call between Xi and Putin on August 8, the two leaders vowed to make concerted efforts in preparation for the SCO Tianjin Summit so as to make it a summit of friendship, unity and fruitful results, and jointly promote the high-quality development of the SCO, according to Xinhua.
Leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations will attend the SCO Summit 2025, which will be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin said on Friday.
This will be the fifth time that China has hosted the SCO Summit and it will be the largest since the organization was founded, he said at a press briefing.
Foreign leaders invited to attend the summit include Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin, Liu announced.
This summit has also drawn Western media attention as Bloomberg reported on Monday that the warmer relationship between China, Russia and India "would send a powerful signal that the geopolitical heavyweights are aligning in the face of US pressure."
In the eyes of some in the West, the current international order and rules should be dominated by Western countries, and any bilateral or multilateral cooperation outside of Western or US control is seen as "challenging or threatening" the international order. This is why some Western media spare no effort in demonizing the cooperation between Beijing and Moscow within multilateral platforms, said Zhao Pei, associate research fellow at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Shanghai International Studies University.
In reality, the cooperation between China and Russia is not aimed at any specific country. Both nations seek to move the international order toward a more just direction, which aligns with the interests of Global South countries. Furthermore, multilateral platforms such as BRICS and the SCO, where Beijing and Moscow play key roles, welcome more countries to join. These platforms challenge the hegemony of a few nations over international affairs and contribute to maintaining and improving the existing international order, Zhao added.