Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night on a two-day state visit for talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, days after US leader Donald Trump travelled to China.
Xi and Putin will exchange views on bilateral ties, cooperation in various fields, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
This is Putin’s 25th visit to China, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here on Monday, emphasising close strategic ties between Russia and China as well as strong friendship and rapport between the two leaders.
“The two sides will take this visit as an opportunity to continue to promote the development of China-Russia relations to a higher level, which will inject greater stability and positive energy into the world,” Guo said.
Since Xi took power in 2012, the two leaders have met dozens of times, frequently referring to each other as “dear friend” and emphasising mutual trust.
Their ties have strengthened through cooperation in trade, energy, security, and efforts to counter Western influence and observers view the Xi-Putin relationship as one of the most significant political partnerships in contemporary global affairs.
Significantly, Putin is visiting Beijing days after Trump’s three-day trip here from May 14 to 16, during which he held close-door talks with Xi on a host of global and bilateral issues.
They were expected to exchange views on Trump’s visit to Beijing.
The key focus of Trump’s visit to China was the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, which has caused a serious energy crisis all over the world, as well as the American seizure of Iranian ports.
Iran is a close strategic ally of both Russia and China, which are also its major arms suppliers. China imports 90 per cent of Iranian oil, disregarding US sanctions.
GossipsNG.COM.
