Putin tells Xi Russia-China ties hit high level

BEIJING – Vladimir Putin tells Xi Jinping in a meeting in Beijing that ties between their countries have reached an ‘unprecedentedly high level’.

However, Beijing is more careful with its language because Xi wants to appear close to Moscow, but not too close, writes our China correspondent. China is still the biggest buyer of Russian oil and a key ally despite Western sanctions against Moscow.  Without Chinese money and tech, the very survival of Putin’s regime would be in question, BBC Monitoring’s chief analyst writes. Putin will be seeking to strengthen the relationship – a new pipeline that could deliver up to 50 billion cubic metres of natural gas to China will be high on the agenda. Also on his schedule: A meeting with a Chinese engineer he met back in 2000 on his first visit to Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is now speaking, following Chinese Leader Xi Jinping’s remarks.

Putin says Russia is prepared to continue supplying energy to China, noting that trade between the two countries is protected from external influence and negative trends in global markets.

He also said Russia is ready to continue uninterrupted oil and gas supplies to China. Xi also says that both countries will step up cooperation in AI and tech innovation.

China and Russia should also firmly play the roles of ‘responsible great powers’, to protect international justice and oppose ‘all unilateral bullying and actions that reverse history’, says Xi, who has now concluded his remarks.