Sino-Russia Conference Extends Treaties as Xi Kowtows to Putin for Better Relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting via video conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 28, 2021. Photo by Alexey Nikolsky / Sputnik / AFP

The leaders of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, announced an extension of the 2001 Sino‑Russian Treaty of Friendship for another five years during a virtual conference held on June 28.

Prior to this meeting, the United States and Russia met for a summit in mid-June. Some commentators believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) extended the territorial cessation treaty in order to tug at Russia’s sleeve.