China: Chinese leader Mr. Xi Jinping has told Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin that the “political mutual trust” between their countries was “continuously deepening.”
The two leaders met for bilateral talks in Beijing. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that Mr. Xi also called for joint efforts by China and Russia to “safeguard international fairness” and “justice” as he praised “close and effective strategic coordination” between their two nations.
Mr. Xi observed that he and Putin had met “42 times in the past 10 years and developed a good working relationship and a deep friendship.”
The last meeting between the two leaders was in March 2023, during Mr. Xi’s trip to Moscow. During that meeting, they discussed a “new era” of cooperation, building on the “no-limits” partnership they announced in 2022, just days before Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Their meeting in Beijing happens while Kyiv pushes back against Russian forces in an attempt to reclaim its territory, amidst a deteriorating situation concerning the Gaza Palestinian enclave.
“The visit aims to help with de-escalation in the Middle East. This is part of China’s efforts to promote peace talks,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ms. Mao Ning remarked.
“In the current difficult conditions, close foreign policy coordination is especially necessary, which is what we are doing, and today we will also discuss all of this,” Mr. Putin said.
The meeting is taking place on the sidelines of a forum to mark 10 years of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a globe-spanning infrastructure development policy that is one of Mr. Xi’s signature policies.
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