Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin affirmed Wednesday their unity against "common threats," as they met in Beijing, the Russian leader said, with the two also discussing Russia's war on Ukraine and Middle East issues.
Putin told reporters such threats "make Russia-China relations stronger" in an apparent reference to pressure from the U.S.-led Western camp over the Ukraine war, following his three-hour talks with Xi in the Chinese capital on the sidelines of an infrastructure forum.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Xi and Putin had an "in-depth exchange of views" on the fierce fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, but did not elaborate.
The trip was Putin's first to China since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year. China, which has been strengthening economic ties with Russia, opposes Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war.
Xi expressed support for the people of Russia in their choice to safeguard the country's "sovereignty, security and development interests," while Putin said that Moscow upholds the one-China principle and Beijing's efforts to secure territorial integrity, viewing Taiwan as "an inalienable part of the Chinese territory," the ministry said.
The Chinese leader said developing a bilateral partnership "with ever-lasting good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation" is a long-term commitment of his country.
He also indicated China's readiness to work with Russia in ensuring food security, energy security and stable global industry and supply chains, the ministry said.
Xi called Putin his "dear old friend," saying the political mutual trust continues to deepen, while Putin noted Moscow and Beijing have boosted coordination in their diplomatic policies, according to the two countries' media.
The Chinese leader called for joint efforts to "safeguard international fairness and justice," referring to the two countries' shared opposition to U.S.-led international order.
The two leaders confirmed bilateral trade volume is set to reach the goal of $200 billion this year, according to the reports. It hit a record $190 billion in 2022, Chinese customs data shows.
Prior to the summit talks, Xi and Putin delivered speeches Wednesday morning to the forum on China's Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative, which was held to mark its 10th anniversary.
Putin said he is glad to see China's success in implementing the scheme, which aims to form "a fairer, multipolar world."
In the meeting with Xi, the Russian leader called the infrastructure initiative a "widely recognized" international public good and expressed hope that more countries will join, according to the ministry and the official Xinhua News Agency.
Xi also said the operation of major infrastructure projects, such as a China-Russia natural gas pipeline, have brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, the ministry said.
The Chinese president noted he had met with Putin 42 times in the past 10 years and lauded their deep friendship, the Chinese state-run agency added.
In March, Xi visited Moscow and agreed with Putin to deepen the two countries' partnership, days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader for allegedly overseeing the war crime of the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children.
China is not a member of the ICC, so it is not obliged to arrest Putin.
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