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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 16, during Putin's state visit.
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CNN
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed President Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Thursday with a military band serenade and multiple gun salutes in front of the capital's Great Hall of the People, set to highlight the leaders' close cooperation as Russia's military. This marked the start of a two-day state visit. Expanding into Ukraine.
The visit is Putin's symbolic first overseas foray since entering a new term as Russian president last week, and a sign of President Xi Jinping's support for Putin, as the two countries face intense friction. This is the latest sign of deepening ties in a world already closely tied. West.
During the meeting on Thursday morning, Xi said China-Russia relations had “withstood the test of the changing international situation” and should be “cherished and nurtured” by both sides, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry. .
“China will continue to cooperate with Russia and continue to be a good neighbor, good friend, and good partner who trust each other, solidify the lasting friendship between our two peoples, jointly pursue the development and revitalization of our respective countries, and work together to maintain fairness and “We are ready to uphold justice and justice in the world,” Xi said.
Putin praised the “real cooperation” between the two countries, pointing to last year's record bilateral trade and China's prominence as Russia's economic partner, Russian state media TASS reported. The Russian president said energy, industry and agriculture were among the priorities for cooperation and that the leaders had “already started talking” about this.
Putin's red-carpet welcome to Beijing comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced through the presidential palace that he was canceling all future international visits to protect his country from a surprise Russian attack in northeast Kharkiv. It was conducted.
The meeting in Beijing will be the fourth direct meeting between President Putin and President Xi Jinping since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the meeting was held due to delays in aid to Ukraine and Russia's economy and defense. The decision was taken at a time of growing international concern about the course of the war. The complex does not appear to have succumbed to Western sanctions.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kiev earlier this week and reaffirmed the Biden administration's support for Ukraine after Congress delayed approval for U.S. military aid to the embattled country for months. Blinken has pledged $2 billion in foreign military funding and said much-needed ammunition and weapons are flooding the front lines.
Mr. Xi welcomes Mr. Putin following pressure from both the United States and Europe to ensure that a surge in exports from China to Russia since the start of the war does not support the Kremlin's war effort.
In recent weeks, White House officials have been in talks with the Chinese government about what they believe to be substantial support for Russia's defense industrial base in the form of machine tools, drones, turbojet engines, microelectronics and other items from China. Conflicting. The Chinese government accused the United States of making “baseless accusations” regarding “normal trade and economic exchanges” between China and Russia.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin's motorcade passed through Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday.
A meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Putin in Beijing on Thursday was expected to feature the Ukraine war and the Gaza conflict, along with talks on expanding trade, security and energy ties.
Ahead of his trip, President Putin praised the “unprecedented level of strategic partnership” between the two countries in an interview with Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency.
He said the leaders aimed to “strengthen foreign policy coordination” and deepen cooperation in “peaceful uses of industry and high technology, space and nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovative areas.” He said that
He also praised China's “approach towards resolving the Ukraine crisis.” The Chinese government has never condemned Russian aggression, but rather maintains neutrality in the conflict. Ahead of a peace conference scheduled for Switzerland last month, Mr. Xi called for peace negotiations that take into account the positions of both sides.
The two leaders, who declared an “unrestricted” partnership weeks before the February 2022 invasion and are known for their personal chemistry, have continued to strengthen their countries' diplomatic, trade and security ties since the start of the war. Ta. Mr. Xi also visited Moscow in 2023, his first foreign trip after entering a new term as China's president.
Both leaders see the other country as an essential partner in their shared vision of rebuilding a world order that they see as dominated by the United States and seeking to thwart its rise. The two leaders are expected to discuss Russia's hosting of the BRICS group later this year. The bloc is positioned as an alternative to the Western-backed G7 and expanded earlier this year to include more member states, including US foe Iran.
Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin also plan to sign a number of bilateral agreements, the Kremlin announced earlier this week. According to Chinese state media, the two countries will mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations with a “celebratory event”.
In addition to meeting with Xi in Beijing, President Putin is also scheduled to visit Harbin, the capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia's Far East, and attend a trade and cooperation forum.
Historically, the region has been the site of a conflict between China and the Soviet Union that erupted in 1969 and long-simmering border tensions between the two countries, but in recent years it has become increasingly connected to parts of Russia's Far East.
Putin will also meet with students and faculty from Harbin Institute of Technology, which was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2020 for allegedly being involved in procuring supplies for the Chinese military.
