Russia Says China Ties Are in Their Strongest Era After Putin–Li Qiang Talks

Overview

• Premier Li Qiang met President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on November 18, delivering Xi Jinping’s greetings and reaffirming high-level alignment.
• Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the current phase of relations as the strongest in their history and framed the partnership as entering a new era.
• China has opened visa-free entry to Russian citizens, and Putin said Russia will introduce reciprocal visa-free access for Chinese nationals soon.
• Both sides backed new people-to-people initiatives, including national “theme years” and the Russia–China Years of Education planned for 2026–27.
• Beijing and Moscow pledged deeper coordination in SCO and BRICS and expanded sectoral cooperation spanning trade, energy, agriculture and infrastructure, with Putin calling for protection of economic ties from external pressures; senior defense talks in Moscow highlighted follow-through on leaders’ agreements.