China Power | Politics | East Asia

China’s Stake in the Russian Duma Elections

The topic is a controversial one in China due to the obvious parallels between the Russian and Chinese political systems and the stake the Chinese leadership has in the stability of their neighbor.

Russian President Vladmir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping shake hands during Putin’s state visit to Beijing, May 20, 2026.

What did observers in China think about the Russian State Duma election on September 20? While retaining a veneer of democratic procedure, Vladimir Putin has steadily eliminated potential rivals and term limits, much like Xi Jinping has done. In past Russian election cycles, Chinese officials and experts by large have emphasized the importance of outcomes reinforcing political stability in Russia. 

In terms of the latest election, most Western commentary criticized the unfair process preventing Putin’s primary opposing party, Yabloko, from running. Yabloko – which means apple in Russian but actually is an acronym for the last names of its three founders –  is the only pro-democracy and anti-war party in Russia. By contrast, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun congratulated Russia for the “smooth conclusion” of the process and hailed the elections for representing “the will of the Russian people.” 

Chinese media commentary did note that Yabloko was prohibited from participating in the election as a party, although some Yabloko candidates were still running in single-member districts (and all lost). Given the lack of real electoral competition, a Hong Kong media outlet, China Review News Agency, pointed out that the 59 percent turnout (7.6 percentage points higher than the previous Duma election in 2021) reflected “the state’s mobilization capabilities,” not increased political participation. 

Putin’s televised address in the lead-up to the election framed it as an opportunity for Russians to express their support for the war in Ukraine and as “a collective response to those who seek to weaken Russia,” Chinese commentary reported. More than 200 Russian veterans of the war in Ukraine ran for the Duma and election commission chair Ella Pamfilova reported that 46 of them won seats – 41 of whom belonged to United Russia, the ruling party that has dominated the Russian political landscape throughout Putin’s leadership. 

With the elections held against a background of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian soil and rising prices, Ma Bin, deputy director of the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Fudan University, called the Duma election a major test and demonstration of Russian political stability. Chinese military analyst Shi Hong agreed that United Russia’s overwhelming victory demonstrated that for Russia “stability was paramount” and would support continuity in Russia’s military strategy and appropriations. Zhang Yanjun, a research fellow at the Institute of International Studies in Shanghai, predicted that the results of the election (held for the first time on occupied Ukrainian territory) would make Putin more intent on demonstrating strategic resolve and less likely to make concessions on Ukraine.

Since the failed coup attempt by the (since deceased) Wagner Group chairman, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in 2023, Chinese officials have made some efforts to reach out to officials beyond Putin’s inner circle. Wu Dahui,........

© The Diplomat