Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (May 16) praised the current momentum of the China-Russia relationship work during talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, claiming that both countries were making “active contributions towards global stability.”
Putin arrived earlier on Thursday for a two-day state visit that will include detailed talks on Ukraine, Asia, energy and trade with Xi, his most powerful political backer and fellow geopolitical rival of the United States.
Putin's newly appointed defence minister, Andrei Belousov, as well as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were also in attendance at the same meeting.
It is Putin's first trip abroad since his March re-election and the second in just over six months to China.
The two leaders signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between their two nations after their initial meeting. Xi said China and Russia will continue to uphold a position of non-alliance and non-confrontation.
