BEIJING - Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for the first time in his new term, seeking to ensure support for his government with the war in Ukraine now in its third year.
The pair started talks on Thursday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, after Putin’s arrival earlier in the day. He is likely to prioritise countering the United States' warnings to China over trade with his country in talks with Xi.
In an earlier written interview with the official Xinhua News Agency, Putin said Russia and China will deepen collaboration on renewable energy, artificial intelligence, high-tech industries and more areas. As part of the two-day visit, the Russian leader will also visit the northeastern city of Harbin where he’ll take part in the opening ceremony of the eighth Russian-Chinese Expo.
The two leaders, who declared a "no-limits friendship" just weeks before Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have met more than 40 times since Xi came to power in 2012.
The Chinese president told his Russian counterpart that China-Russia relations today have not come easily and should be cherished and cared for by both sides, Chinese state media said on Thursday.
China will always be a good neighbour, friend and partner of mutual trust with Russia, the state television quoted Xi as saying.
An emergency worker inspects an apartment building damaged by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. (Photo: Reuters)
China, which has helped Russia weather unprecedented US and European sanctions imposed over the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbour, has faced increasing US threats of retaliation. The world’s second-largest economy has become an indispensable ally for Russia, which relies on China as a market for its energy and supplier of its wartime needs.
That has put Putin in an awkward position sometimes, with Beijing wary of his nuclear sabre-rattling and mindful of the need to keep unfettered access to the US-led global economic system.
In recent weeks, the US has stepped up warnings to Chinese banks and exporters about consequences if they help to bolster Russia's military capacity. In December, the Treasury Department announced it would impose secondary sanctions on banks that facilitate deals in which Russia procures semiconductors, ball bearings and other equipment necessary for its military — even if they are unaware they are doing so.
