Diplomacy. In Moscow, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin display their strong relationship.

Chinese President Xi Jinping , visiting Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, said Thursday that his country would stand by Russia in the face of "hegemonic harassment."

"Faced with the international trend toward unilateralism and hegemonic bullying behavior, China will work with Russia to shoulder the special responsibilities of major world powers," Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart at the start of their meeting in the Kremlin.

Mutually beneficial relationships

"Political mutual trust between China and Russia is deepening, and ties for pragmatic cooperation are strengthening," the Chinese president continued. Vladimir Putin assured that Russia and China are developing their ties "in the interests of the people of both countries and not against anyone."

"Our relations are based on equality and are mutually beneficial," he added. The Russian president also indicated that Russia and China intend to jointly defend the "historical truth" about World War II. The Russian president accused the West of trying to distort it.

"Together with our Chinese friends, we firmly uphold historical truth, protect the memory of the events of the war years and fight against modern manifestations of neo-Nazism and militarism," he said.

A large delegation

Having arrived in Moscow the day before, Xi Jinping was warmly welcomed at the Kremlin on Thursday by Vladimir Putin and a delegation including government officials and top business leaders. Among them were the director of Russia's atomic energy agency Rosatom, the head of oil giant Rosneft, the head of the Russian Central Bank, and oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend the grand military parade in Moscow's Red Square on Friday to commemorate the 1945 victory, alongside Vladimir Putin. Chinese soldiers are also expected to take part in the parade.

Russia and China have significantly strengthened their ties since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in 2022 , to the point that Western powers accuse Beijing of being a key element of the Russian military effort, notably by helping Moscow circumvent sanctions. The two countries base their partnership on their opposition to the West and the United States in particular, which they accuse of imposing hegemony in international affairs.