China and Russia unite on world order, but Putin departs without concrete gains

But behind the display of solidarity and trust, the packed trip appeared to yield few concrete gains for Moscow – notably no deals on the closely watched Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project.

Still, Chinese observers said the trip reflected the shared push by Beijing and Moscow for a multipolar world order, even as economic and strategic asymmetries in the relationship have become increasingly apparent.

Zhang Xin, a professor at the Centre for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, said Beijing’s position in managing China-Russia-US ties appeared to be strengthened after hosting Trump and Putin.

“China is actually standing in a relatively more advantageous position,” he said.