Marc Julienne
Just over two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, President Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. During his visit, he held a bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping, which resulted in the publication of the Joint Statement on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development.1
At the time, Putin and Xi described their relationship as a "friendship without limits." However, the joint statement did not explicitly mention this phrase or their bilateral ties. Instead, it presented an in-depth articulation of their shared vision for the global order.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China refrained from repeating the "limitless friendship" rhetoric, yet both countries continued to advocate for a reformed international system—one they see as dominated by the United States and shaped by Western values they regard as biased. As stated in the February 4th joint statement, China and Russia pledged "to promote genuine democracy," in contrast to what they called Western "'democratic standards' [that] prove to be nothing but flouting of democracy and go against the spirit and true values of democracy."2
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