President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday said his country’s ties with China were at an “unprecedented” high as he met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in a display of unity that they presented as a counterweight to the West.

俄罗斯总统普京周二与中国国家主席习近平见面时表示，俄中关系已“达到历史最高水平”，这是两国团结一致制衡西方的展示。

Mr. Xi hosted Mr. Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where the two held formal talks, as well as afternoon tea and a banquet. The Chinese leader said that relations between the countries had “withstood the test of a changing international situation and set an example for relations between major countries.”

习近平在北京的人民大会堂接待普京，双方在那里举行了正式会谈，并一起喝了下午茶和出席了晚宴。习近平说，“中俄关系经受住了国际风云变幻的考验，树立了大国关系典范。”

Mr. Xi also signaled that Beijing would continue to align itself closely with Moscow on issues of shared interest.

习近平还表示，北京将继续在双方重大关切的问题上与莫斯科协调立场。

One way in which the two countries have lately been in sync has been in how they have depicted history. Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin have echoed each other’s version of World War II and the role their countries played in ending it.

两国最近保持一致的一个方式体现在对历史的叙述上。习近平和普京在“二战”及两国在结束战争方面所发挥作用的表述上互相呼应。

Their meeting came on the eve of a military parade to be held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event is intended as an elaborate display of China’s military might and expanding global influence at a time when President Trump’s tariffs are alienating U.S. allies and rivals alike. More than two dozen leaders are expected to attend the parade, including the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran.

他们的会晤发生在中国将在天安门广场举行纪念“二战”结束80周年阅兵式的前夕。这场活动意在精心展示中国的军事实力和不断扩大的全球影响力，而与此同时，特朗普总统的关税政策正在让美国的盟友和竞争对手都感到苦恼。预计将有20多个国家的领导人出席阅兵式，包括朝鲜领导人金正恩和伊朗总统佩泽什基安。

The parade is the highlight of a monthslong campaign by China featuring speeches, films and television specials to put forward a version of the war that centers the Chinese Communist Party’s role in the fight against Japan. (Many historians believe it was the Chinese Nationalists, not the Communists, who did most of the fighting.)

这场阅兵式是中国数月宣传活动的高潮。宣传活动主要通过演讲、电影和电视特别节目进行，目的是将一种历史叙事推给受众，把中国共产党在抗日战争中的作用置于核心位置。（许多历史学家认为，中国抗日战争的主力是国民党，而不是共产党。）

Mr. Xi, in his meeting with Mr. Putin on Tuesday, praised the role of the Soviet Union and China in ending hostilities. The countries were the “main victors” of World War II and were determined to safeguard the results of that triumph as they push for a “more just and equitable” international system, he said.

习近平周二与普京会晤时，赞扬了苏联和中国在结束“二战”方面所起的作用。他说，中俄两国是“第二次世界大战主要战胜国”，两国决意“维护二战胜利成果”，同时“推动建设更加公正合理的”国际体系。

Mr. Putin, addressing Mr. Xi as a “dear friend,” called the victory in World War II evidence of both countries’ “readiness to defend historical truth and justice.” “We were together then, we remain together now,” Mr. Putin said.

普京把习近平称为“亲爱的朋友”，并表示，两国在“二战”中的胜利是它们“共同捍卫历史真相和正义”的证明。“我们过去站在一起，现在仍站在一起，”普京说。

习近平和普京的会晤发生在中国将在天安门广场举行纪念“二战”结束80周年阅兵式的前夕。

The Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany is central to Mr. Putin’s historical narrative, one that positions his war against Ukraine today as a similarly righteous and historic battle. With his planned attendance at Mr. Xi’s celebration on Wednesday, Mr. Putin appeared to be expanding that narrative to the Pacific theater of World War II and using it to underscore China and Russia’s expanding alliance.

苏联抗击纳粹德国的战争是普京历史叙事的核心，按照这个叙事，他如今对乌克兰发动的战争具有同样的正义性和历史意义。普京周三出席习近平的庆祝活动的安排，似乎意在将这个叙事扩大到“二战”的太平洋战场，并以此来强调中俄两国日益扩大的同盟关系。

For Mr. Xi, the wartime depiction is a way to burnish Beijing’s image at home as the country’s savior, and abroad, as a force for stability, as well as to support Chinese territorial claims over Taiwan, scholars say.

学者们认为，对习近平而言，这种战争叙事在国内是为了树立中共的民族救星形象，在国际上是为了树立中国维护稳定力量的形象，同时还用来支持中国对台湾的领土主张。

In one tangible sign of a deepening relationship, China announced it would offer visa-free entry for Russian tourists at least until September 2026.

两国关系加深的一个具体迹象是，中国宣布将为俄罗斯游客提供免签入境，至少持续到2026年9月。

But there was also evidence that the two countries’ positions were not perfectly aligned: The head of Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, told reporters on Tuesday that the company had reached a “legally binding” deal to build a long-awaited natural gas pipeline to China, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had nothing to announce.

但也有证据表明，两国的立场并非完全一致：俄罗斯能源巨头俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的负责人周二对记者表示，公司已就修建一条期待已久的对华天然气管道达成了一项“具有法律约束力”的协议，但中国外交部称目前没有任何可宣布的消息。

Analysts doubted that China would welcome more purchases of Russian gas. “I see limited need for even more cubic meters of gas supply,” said Yan Qin, the principal analyst for China gas markets at ClearBlue Markets, a carbon markets advisory firm.

分析人士对中国是否会接受购买更多的俄罗斯天然气持怀疑态度。“我看到对更多立方米天然气供应的需求有限，”碳市场咨询公司ClearBlue Markets的中国天然气市场首席分析师秦燕（音）说。

Beijing, Russia’s largest trading partner, has been an economic lifeline to Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Experts say the alignment — which the two countries call their “no limits strategic partnership” — is aimed at establishing an alternative world order with Beijing and Moscow on top.

中国是俄罗斯最大的贸易伙伴。自从2022年初俄罗斯大举入侵乌克兰以来，中国政府一直为莫斯科提供着经济命脉。专家表示，两国所谓“无止境战略伙伴关系”是为了建立一个由北京和莫斯科主导的替代世界秩序。

In a veiled dig at Western leaders and Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin said on Tuesday that Mr. Xi’s vision for global governance was “urgently needed” at a time when such leadership is “in deficit.”

普京周二含蓄地嘲讽了西方领导人和特朗普。他说，在全球治理方面出现领导人“赤字”的时候，习近平提出的全球治理体系“非常及时和必要”。

Russia’s sprawling delegation included two deputy prime ministers, 10 cabinet ministers and the heads of Russia’s largest companies in oil, gas, arms production and finance, a sign of Beijing’s importance to an internationally isolated Moscow. The head of Russia’s central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, and of Russia’s main state broadcasting company, Oleg Dobrodeyev, were there as well, according to a roster published by the Kremlin.

俄罗斯派出一个庞大的代表团来中国，包括两位副总理、十位内阁部长，以及俄罗斯石油、天然气、武器生产和金融领域最大企业的负责人，这表明，对在国际上受到孤立的莫斯科而言，中国政府的支持至关重要。克里姆林宫公布的代表团名单还包括俄罗斯央行行长埃尔维拉·纳比乌琳娜，以及俄罗斯主要国家广播公司的总裁奥列格·布罗杰耶夫。

Mr. Putin lavished praise on his Chinese hosts, adding that the possibility of rain during the parade on Wednesday would have no effect on the celebrations. “The Chinese military will carry out this festive, solemn event with their usual brilliance,” he said.

普京大力称赞了他的中国东道主，并补充说，尽管周三举行阅兵式时可能会下雨，但这一点也不影响庆祝活动。“中国军队将以一贯的出色表现完成这场喜庆、庄严的阅兵式，”他说。