Ding Xuexiang Meets Putin, Co-Chairs China-Russia Bilateral Meetings in Vladivostok
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and co-chaired two key bilateral mechanism meetings during a three-day visit to Vladivostok for the 11th Eastern Economic Forum, underscoring the continued depth of high-level engagement between Beijing and Moscow.
Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, traveled to the Russian Far East from September 2-4, according to Xinhua. During the visit, he met with Putin, co-chaired the 13th meeting of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, and co-chaired the 23rd meeting of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Milestone Anniversaries Frame the Visit
The meetings carried particular symbolic weight, as 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.
Putin noted the significance of the occasion during his meeting with Ding, saying that “thanks to the joint efforts of the two countries, Russia-China relations have reached an unprecedented level, with positive progress made in cooperation across various fields,” as reported by China Diplomacy. He added that Russia stands ready to strengthen strategic coordination with China to bring bilateral relations to an even higher level.
Ding conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s cordial greetings to Putin and emphasized that “China-Russia relations have remained unshakable amid the complex and changing international situation,” attributing the resilience of the partnership to the strategic guidance of the two heads of state.
Deepening Investment and Energy Cooperation
At the 13th meeting of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee on September 3, Ding proposed four priorities: strengthening planning and policy guidance, promoting key projects to achieve tangible results, expanding cooperation into green industries and the digital economy, and addressing outstanding difficulties facing enterprises, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The following day, Ding co-chaired the 23rd meeting of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee with Novak, where he proposed consolidating existing energy cooperation achievements, exploring new areas including artificial intelligence-energy integration, and jointly promoting the transformation of the global energy governance system, as detailed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Both sides signed meeting minutes following each session.
Energy Business Forum Highlights Strategic Partnership
Ding also attended the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Energy Business Forum on September 4, where he read a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping. Xi noted that amid complex changes in the international situation, China-Russia energy cooperation has yielded fruitful results and serves as “a model of mutually beneficial cooperation,” as reported by Fujian Daily.
Novak indicated that Russia and China are preparing to discuss new peaceful nuclear energy projects, personnel training, and frontier nuclear technology research, with Russia currently supplying equipment to multiple Chinese nuclear power plants, according to RT China.
Trade Ties at Record Levels
China-Russia bilateral trade reached $227.9 billion in 2025, surpassing the $200 billion mark for the third consecutive year, with China maintaining its position as Russia’s largest trading partner for 16 straight years. Putin has projected that 2026 trade will set another record, approaching $240 billion.
The Eastern Economic Forum, held under the theme “The Far East: Development for the Benefit of People,” attracted more than 7,000 participants from 78 countries. Ding attended the forum’s plenary session on September 3 alongside Putin, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Uchral, and Myanmar Vice President U Nyo Saw.
In his plenary remarks, Putin announced a unified preferential regime for the Far East and Arctic starting January 1, 2027, and highlighted plans for a new Far East development strategy through 2036, according to the Kremlin.
Regional Cooperation as a Strategic Priority
A key focus of Ding’s visit was strengthening alignment between China’s Northeast revitalization strategy and Russia’s Far East development strategy through the “Northeast-Far East” cooperation mechanism. Ding noted that there is great potential for China and Russia to deepen cooperation in developing the Far East, emphasizing the need to upgrade the level and scale of cooperation to better benefit the peoples of both nations.
Wang Xiaoquan, an expert at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that marking the 30th anniversary of the strategic partnership, the two countries have steadily deepened their ties, building a high level of mutual trust and setting an example of a new type of major-country relationship.
What to Watch
The visit reinforces the trajectory of deepening China-Russia economic integration despite ongoing Western sanctions and geopolitical pressures. Key developments to monitor include whether 2026 bilateral trade sets another record as Putin projected, implementation of the unified preferential regime for the Far East from January 2027, progress on new nuclear energy cooperation projects, and whether the “Northeast-Far East” mechanism translates into concrete new investment projects on the ground.