- Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping started joint negotiations in Beijing.
- The Russian president is trying to emphasize the importance of the Russian-Chinese alliance after Trump’s visit.
- Putin called Russian-Chinese relations unprecedented and invited Xia to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping began negotiations together on Wednesday in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Russian media footage showed. AFP reports that Putin will try to emphasize the importance of the countries’ alliance during the meeting, just a few days after US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, writes TASR.
Si welcomed Putin in Beijing on a red carpet, the leaders shook hands and the military band subsequently played the anthem of both countries. According to Reuters Putin told the Chinese president that the relations between the two countries are at an unprecedented level and at the same time invited him to visit Russia next year.
In addition, the head of the Kremlin praised the development of cooperation between Russia and China. “Despite unfavorable external factors, our cooperation and economic cooperation show a strong and positive development,” Putin said, according to Russian media. “Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of raw materials and China as a responsible consumer,” remarked Putin according to the Russian agency TASS.
After a 15-minute welcoming ceremony, the two leaders entered the Great Hall of the People and began joint negotiations. Putin’s plane landed in Beijing shortly after 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday. local time (17:15 CEST). Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and TASS confirmed that the Russian president’s delegation consists of 39 people, including deputy prime ministers, ministers and senior executives of Russian state-owned and private companies operating in China.
