Xi welcomes ‘old friend’ Putin who lauds ‘unprecedented’ ties in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping has welcomed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as an “old friend” while the latter said their countries’ ties were at an “unprecedented level”, as the two began a series of meetings in Beijing seen as sending a message of defiance and strength to Western powers.nnThe two allies have sharp differences with the United States amid disputes over the Ukraine war and President Donald Trump’s ramping up of tariffs.nnPutin addressed Xi as a “dear friend” on Tuesday and lauded Moscow’s deepening ties with Beijing. Following their formal talks in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, they planned to have another meeting over tea with some of their top aides.nnThe talks come a day after both attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisationn(SCO) in the nearby Chinese city of Tianjin. Moscow and Beijing have promotednthe SCO as a counterweight to Western-led alliances, with Putin arguing thenworld needs a “system that would replace outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlanticnmodels”.nnBefore the end of his visit in Beijing, Putin is expected “to sign 20 dealsnincreasing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow”, said Al Jazeera’s KatrinanYu, reporting from Beijing. Putin and Xi “seem to have a very warm, genuinenrapport… It does seem that their friendship hasn’t been impacted at all byncriticism from the US or Western European leaders,” said Yu.nnRelations between China and Russia have strengthened in recent years,nparticularly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.nnChina says it is neutral in the Ukraine war, but has provided an economicnlifeline to Russia by continuing trade despite Western sanctions. Some of itsncompanies have been accused of abetting the military industry.nnThe two leaders’ talks also come the day before a huge Chinese military paradenin Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat and the end of WorldnWar II.nnIt will be attended by about two dozen world leaders, including North Korea’snKim Jong Un,nwho state media in Pyongyang say has crossed the border into China before hisnplanned attendance at the military parade, and Iranian President MasoudnPezeshkian.nnPutin and Kim are likely to hold talks in China on Wednesday, the Interfax newsnagency reported, citing a Kremlin aide.nnnnPutin said on Tuesday that claims by European leaders that Russia would one daynattack deeper into Europe were “hysteria” and “horror stories”.nnThe former Soviet Union was neutral for much of World War II in Asia, butnprovided assistance to China in earlier fighting against invading Japanesenforces in the 1930s. It also declared war on Japan in the last days war and sentntroops over the border into Japanese-occupied northeastern China.nnWith this military parade, China hopes to show strength and unity, and send anmessage to the West, said Yu. Many of the leaders attending this parade “havenbeen styled by the US, by the Trump administration as outcasts, as weak, asnpariahs”, so the point China hopes to make by rolling out the red carpet fornthem is to show “they’re not isolated, that they do have friends and they donhave power,” added Yu.nnThe SCO meetingnhas showcased a Global South solidarity and push for a new global order. “Globalngovernance has reached a new crossroads,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told thensummit on Monday, in remarks that were widely seen as a critique of the US.nnPutin and Xi also held a trilateral meeting with Mongolian President KhurelsukhnUkhnaa before their talks on Tuesday. His landlocked country of grasslands andnmineral mines is sandwiched between the two giants.nnPutin said in opening remarks that the three countries are good neighbours, withna shared interest in developing ties. “Our three countries have much in common,”nhe said.nnXi in turn said: “The more chaotic the international situation becomes, the morenChina, Russia and Mongolia should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, andnincrease mutual support.”nnIn 2024, Putin made an official visit to Mongolia,nwhere the government ignored calls to arrest him on an International CriminalnCourt warrant. Mongolia is a member of the ICC, which issued an arrest warrantnxa0fornPutin last year over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, including the deportationnof children to Russia.