Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing, signing agreements for deeper cooperation. This alliance aims to counter US influence, contrasting with a recent US-led summit focused on risk management.

Days after US President Donald Trump’s visit framed around managing risks, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a raft of agreements and pledged deeper cooperation as they met in Beijing. An analyst in China captured the stark contrast between the two visits as a clear choice between pomp and pragmatism. “Over these 30 years, our relations, tempered by wind and rain, have risen to ever new heights, following the dictates of the times,” Xi said after the...