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Putin Visits China to Bolster Ties With ‘My Friend,’ Xi

The Russian leader is likely to push for more economic support when he meets with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing.

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By David Pierson ,  Anatoly Kurmanaev and Keith Bradsher

When President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia meets with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, during a visit to Beijing this week, both men will likely seek to demonstrate the strength of their “no limits” partnership in challenging the Western-dominated global order.

The visit comes at a time of turmoil in the Middle East after Hamas’s attack on Israel this month, which has led to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and expectations of a ground invasion. Both Russia and China have refrained from following the lead of Western countries by condemning Hamas directly.

Instead, the two countries have called for an end to the violence and a revival of talks about a Palestinian state. China’s foreign minister this weekend accused Israel of going too far in its reprisals in Gaza, echoing an earlier denunciation by Egypt. And Mr. Putin urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, during a phone call on Monday, to “avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.”

The Chinese and Russian alignment over the Israel-Hamas conflict reflects their geopolitical ambitions. Both countries have tried to cast themselves as leaders of the developing world, partly to bolster their standing with the oil-rich Arab world. They have also reinforced their own relationship over a common interest in eroding American global power.

Mr. Putin’s visit highlights Moscow’s dependence on China for support as his war in Ukraine, which has led to international sanctions on Russia, grinds toward a stalemate. Mr. Xi is Mr. Putin’s most important partner on the global stage and has provided the Russian leader with diplomatic cover and a financial lifeline after Western-led countries punished Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

“Chairman Xi Jinping calls me his friend, and I call him my friend,” Mr. Putin told Chinese state media ahead of his Beijing visit.

Mr. Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to attend the Belt and Road Forum , a meeting about Mr. Xi’s signature foreign policy initiative aimed at using infrastructure projects to expand China’s influence abroad.

The trip is only Mr. Putin’s second outside Russia since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of war crimes in March. Mr. Putin traveled to Kyrgyzstan last week to participate in a summit of former Soviet states. Last month, he skipped a gathering of the BRICS nations in South Africa and the Group of 20 summit in India.

In China, the Kremlin said, Mr. Putin will join Mr. Xi on Wednesday for meetings accompanied by ministers. The two men will also meet one-on-one.

Among Mr. Putin’s top priorities is the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would help redirect Russian gas supplies that had gone to Europe toward China instead. It is unclear how much Beijing supports the project, which requires constructing a pipeline through Mongolia.

Completing a deal is further complicated by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which could have unpredictable effects on the Middle East and affect the global price of natural gas. “There are just too many uncertainties,” to figure out a pricing deal now, said Yan Qin, the lead energy analyst for the London Stock Exchange Group.

Trade between China and Russia has grown 30 percent in the first nine months of the year, and total business in 2023 is expected to break last year’s record of $190 billion. More than a third of all Russian oil exports now go to China, providing the Kremlin with a crucial source of war funding. The fighting appears to be settling into a prolonged war of attrition, with military experts saying that both sides face decreasing prospects of delivering a decisive blow that could bring about an end.

For China, the status quo suits its interests. The stabilization of the front lines in Ukraine means that Beijing does not need to dramatically intervene on Russia’s side to prevent a military defeat that could shake Mr. Putin’s grip on power. And the drawn-out, inconclusive war leaves Russia economically and diplomatically dependent on China and too distracted to counter Beijing in areas where their geopolitical interests overlap, such as Central Asia.

“China is not ready to throw Russia under the bus,” said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

China, for its part, has stepped in to fill the gap left by Western companies in Russia’s consumer market. One of every two cars sold in Russia today, for example, comes from China. Before the war, Chinese car sales to Russia were negligible.

Though China remains the senior partner in the relationship, the weak recovery of China’s economy from the pandemic has somewhat improved Russia’s bargaining position since the two leaders last met, in Moscow in March, Mr. Gabuev said.

Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin declared a “no limits” partnership just weeks before Moscow’s invasion, to signal their alignment in opposing what they call U.S. hegemony. While that alignment still holds, China has had to hedge its relationship with Russia to manage its ties with important trading partners, such as the European Union.

China has tried to cast itself as neutral on the war, which has entered its 21st month. Earlier this year, Beijing issued a proposed political settlement to end the fighting, though the plan was criticized by Washington and some of its allies for protecting Russian interests.

Russia has also tried to demonstrate that it has autonomy in its relationship with China. Mr. Putin hosted North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, in Russia last month — a move seen as a hedge by Moscow against Beijing.

State-affiliated Chinese analysts argue that Beijing seeks to maintain an image of independence on the global stage. “It has become very clear that China does not want to stand on the same side completely with Russia on all issues,” said Xiao Bin, a researcher for the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “China has its own practical problems to solve.”

For China, the war in Ukraine has given it access to discounted Russian oil and diverted American resources — both financial and military — away from China’s periphery in Asia. But the war has also galvanized more global concern about Beijing’s aggressive claims over the de facto independent island of Taiwan. China’s support of Russia has also roiled its relations with Europe, a region Beijing had hoped to court to weaken trans-Atlantic unity on issues like trade and investment restrictions directed at China.

This week’s meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin comes as Beijing and Washington are working toward arresting a downward spiral in relations. But analysts say China’s long-term interests still favor close ties with Russia.

“The bromance is going strong, and in essence remains unaffected by the thaw in U.S.-China relations,” Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said about Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin. “China clearly doesn’t believe in the sustainability of such a thaw, so Russia remains a key partner” in countering the United States.

Ms. Sun said China was currently focused on improving ties with the United States and may offer to help ease the Gaza crisis if it means gaining some leverage over Washington.

“On a strategic level, China is competing for influence in the Middle East,” she said. “But on a tactical level and in the short run, the Chinese would love it if the U.S. asked for help.”

Olivia Wang contributed reporting.

David Pierson covers Chinese foreign policy and China’s economic and cultural engagement with the world. More about David Pierson

Anatoly Kurmanaev is a foreign correspondent covering Russia’s transformation after its invasion of Ukraine. More about Anatoly Kurmanaev

Keith Bradsher is the Beijing bureau chief for The Times. He previously served as bureau chief in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Detroit and as a Washington correspondent. He has lived and reported in mainland China through the pandemic. More about Keith Bradsher

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

Kyiv is aiming to build its own weapons to bring the fight to Russia, signaling a potential boom in domestic weapons production . Whether that can be done in time to alter the trajectory of a war that would be more tenuous without U.S. military aid remains to be seen.

Ukraine’s troop-starved brigades have started their own recruitment campaigns  to fill ranks depleted in the war with Russia.

The Czech Republic froze the assets of two men and a news website  it accused of running a “Russian influence operation” in Europe.

Symbolism or Strategy?: Ukrainians say that defending places with little strategic value is worth the cost in casualties and weapons , because the attacking Russians pay an even higher price. American officials aren’t so sure.

Elaborate Tales: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online  to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.

Targeting Russia’s Oil Industry: With its army short of ammunition and troops to break the deadlock on the battlefield, Kyiv has increasingly taken the fight beyond the Ukrainian border, attacking oil infrastructure deep in Russian territory .

How We Verify Our Reporting

Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts .

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Russia-Ukraine recap

Latest on ukraine: xi jinping visits moscow to meet putin (march 20).

China's leader Xi Jinping claps as he listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin via a video link, from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 2, 2019. Xi will meet Putin this week on a visit to Moscow. Noel Celis/Pool photo via AP hide caption

China's leader Xi Jinping claps as he listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin via a video link, from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 2, 2019. Xi will meet Putin this week on a visit to Moscow.

Here's a look ahead and a roundup of key developments from the past week.

What to watch

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is visiting Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. There are reports Xi may also hold a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Turkey is due to ratify Finland's bid to join NATO. Sweden is still waiting for Turkish approval.

The International Monetary Fund made a rule change that could allow a reported multibillion dollar loan to Ukraine, which the war-battered country has been seeking.

What happened last week

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and his children's rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova. The court said the two are "allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation" and transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia.

Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol , a Russian-occupied city in eastern Ukraine that saw some of the war's most intense fighting last year.

Putin also visited Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula's annexation from Ukraine, which most governments condemned and consider illegal.

A Russian warplane collided with a U.S. drone , forcing the American uncrewed aircraft to crash into the Black Sea, the U.S. military said. U.S. officials said the drone was flying in international airspace when two Russian fighter jets intercepted it, one of them clipping the drone's propeller . Russia's government denied the collision but awarded the pilots of the two fighter jets.

Poland and Slovakia will send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine , the first NATO countries to answer Kyiv's call for allies to share their warplanes to fight Russian forces. The U.S. has refused Ukraine's request for F-16s.

Russia and Ukraine extended the Black Sea Grain Initiative , a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to safely ship Ukrainian grain and seed abroad, which was due to expire Saturday.

The Russian offensive in Ukraine has slowed , failing to gain more than incremental territory in the first few months of the year, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War says . The British Defense Ministry said a Russian ammunition shortage has likely tightened the military's rationing in many parts of the front.

Leaders of Belarus and Iran hailed their countries' ties in meetings in Tehran . Wedged between Ukraine and Russia, Belarus is a Kremlin ally and has followed its footsteps in warming up to China and Iran, which has supplied attack drones to Russia.

Russia now has the lowest approval rating in America since Soviet times , with just 9% of the U.S. public surveyed saying they have a favorable view of the country, according to Gallup .

China's Xi Jinping flexes his diplomatic muscle with a visit to Moscow .

The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Putin .

An infamous Russian unit that downed a civilian plane in 2014 was active in Ukraine.

Turkey says it will ratify Finland's bid to join NATO .

Putin makes a surprise visit to Mariupol and tours an occupied city destroyed by war.

Russia agrees to extend the Ukraine grain deal again .

Russia awards pilots involved in confrontation with a U.S. drone over Black Sea .

Poland will send fighter jets to Ukraine , the first NATO country to do so.

The U.S. military releases footage of Black Sea drone crash with Russian jet .

Despite the downed drone, the U.S. says it will keep flying near Ukraine .

A look at one volunteer's efforts to rescue civilians from Bakhmut, Ukraine .

A center in Ukraine's northeast offers soldiers some badly needed rest .

Are toxic substances from the war contaminating Ukraine's farmland ?

Ron DeSantis says "becoming further entangled" in Ukraine is not in the U.S. interest .

Special report

Russia's war in Ukraine is changing the world: See our updated report on its ripple effects in all corners of the globe.

Earlier developments

You can read past recaps here . For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR's coverage here . Also, listen and subscribe to NPR's State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.

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Analysis Vladimir Putin is visiting Xi Jinping in China right now. Here are five reasons it could be beneficial to both leaders

For months now, Vladimir Putin has been in a lockdown of his own making.

Only days ago, the Russian president travelled abroad for the first time since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest in March, which alleged he is responsible for the war crime of deporting and transferring children from occupied parts of Ukraine into Russia.

After the short trip to Kyrgyzstan, he's now stepped beyond the former Soviet Union, arriving in China for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Beijing has been tight-lipped on who's coming and hadn't confirmed Putin's attendance in any Chinese language media on Monday, but officials from dozens of nations are expected, including representatives of the Taliban, as reported by Reuters.

So why, with so much going on at home, would the Russian president want to be in such company? And why would Beijing risk a distraction as it marks a decade of Xi Jinping's landmark Belt and Road initiative?

Here are five reasons this visit could be beneficial to both world leaders.

Xi and Putin are best mates

Last year, as Russia amassed an estimated 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine in the days before launching its invasion, Putin and Xi agreed to a "no limits partnership".

"Friendship between the two states has no limits; there are no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation," China and Russia said in a joint statement at the time .

Personally, Xi and Putin often refer to each other with terms of sincere and warm endearment.

They're only months apart in age, both project a strongman image at home and despite the language barrier, it's often been observed that they appear to be fond friends.

Putin has publicly recounted a birthday where Xi and he celebrated with vodka and sliced sausage, while Xi has even called his Russian counterpart his "best bosom friend".

In March this year, despite international pressure and the ICC issuing its arrest warrant for Putin only days earlier, Xi went to Russia on a state visit where he was greeted by a ceremonial guard and welcomed with open arms . 

And with tensions simmering and occasionally boiling over along its border with India, it seems logical that China would want to remain on friendly terms with its other major neighbour — which also happens to be the most heavily nuclear-armed country in the world — with which it shares a border more than 4,000 kilometres long.

Analysts agree Putin's presence as likely the most high-profile foreign guest at the Belt and Road Forum will largely be symbolic, to show a united alternative to global US leadership.

"If [Putin] doesn't go there this will generate the number of questions which would be probably inconvenient for both Russia and for China," security studies lecturer from the University of Glasgow, Marcin Kaczmarski, said.

"This would be interpreted as some cracks in their personal relationships."

It's one of a few places Putin can actually go

Earlier this year Putin addressed the BRICS forum in South Africa over video link.

The forum was a hugely important meeting for the group made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which China hopes will soon rival the G7.

But had Putin attended in person, South Africa — a member of the ICC — would have been obligated to arrest him over his war crimes charges.

Neither China, nor Putin's previous destination, Kyrgyzstan, are involved in the ICC, so he is free to travel there without risking arrest.

"Russia relies heavily on China to demonstrate that Russia is not isolated internationally as a result of Western-led economic sanctions," said Jenny Mathers, from Aberystwyth University's department of international politics.

"Putin has emphasised business as usual for domestic society and has tried to minimise the everyday impact of the war as much as possible, especially in economic terms.

"Any suggestion of China withdrawing its rhetorical and practical support for Russia would put Putin's domestic strategy for the war at risk."

Putin could go looking for quiet support for his war in Ukraine

The US has previously warned that China could support Russia in its war effort by providing weapons, something Beijing strongly denies.

But it is of course possible that Putin may use this visit to ask for help.

"Putin is likely to sound Xi out in private, but China will not provide large amounts of lethal aid to Russia unless it believes Russia will fail in Ukraine without it and become a weakened partner," said Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

Dr Kaczmarski said that American intelligence reports that North Korea has in fact provided Russia with weapons for use against Ukraine provide China with a way to avoid doing the same.

"One might assume that China doesn't want to openly support Russia, and North Korea is just a useful proxy to do it," he said.

"[China's] attempts to mend ties at least temporarily … with the US, and China's attention to what Europe thinks and what the policy is within Europe about China, I think these are arguments that speak against China openly providing support to Russia.

"With the qualification that perhaps the Chinese government would not interfere if a private company would like to supply Russia with weapons."

China's huge amount of trade with Russia

Russia's trade with China has become even more important as it is increasingly isolated from the West due to sanctions issued over the Ukraine war.

Certainly, ahead of this visit, Putin was eager to emphasise trade as one of the key reasons for his attendance.

"In the previous period, we had 32 per cent growth in trade … there is every reason to believe that we will reach the $200 billion mark by the end of the year," he said in an interview with the China Media Group.

Russia exports around 2 million barrels of oil a day to China, the world's second-largest consumer of the commodity.

It's forecast that for the first time Russia could send more natural gas to China this year than it does to all of the European Union .

"China's support is vital to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Mr Daly said.

"Without China's purchases of oil, its sales of drones, semiconductors, and spare parts, and its support for Russia in international [forums], the invasion might be unsustainable."

Putin might also be hoping for an agreement on the Power of Siberia 2, a proposed pipeline that would bring gas from the huge Yamal peninsula fields in western Siberia through Mongolia and into China, although Mr Daly and Dr Kaczmarski agree it's unlikely that will happen during this visit.

Xi wants to be considered a global statesman

In the past couple of years Xi has increasingly sought to cast a global impression of China as a world leader and peacemaker.

Spurred on by the success of its mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran that saw the two agree to resume diplomatic ties, China earlier this year renewed its offer to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians — a prospect that now seems impossible, at least in the short and medium term.

Last week, a visiting US delegation and Israeli officials chastised China over its response to Hamas's terrorist attacks, which it stopped short of explicitly condemning, instead expressing its support for a two-state solution and calling for "relevant parties to … exercise restraint" .

China also offered to be a neutral mediator between Russia and Ukraine to find a "political settlement" to the war, and put forward its own 12-point plan for peace.

However, given Xi has met with Putin several times since the war began and is now welcoming him to China, while he has only spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone, that neutrality is hard to see.

Now against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war, it remains to be seen how the Russian and Chinese leaders might utilise this moment as an opportunity , particularly as fatigue of the Ukraine war is already emerging.

So far, Chinese state media has pushed a similar narrative in its commentary around Israel as it has done with Ukraine, joining Russia in placing blame at the feet of NATO and the United States for starting the Ukraine war, and now accusing the US of fanning "the flames of war" in the Middle East.

"When Washington does not mention the term 'ceasefire' and tries to impose its own political choices on other nations, can it still be seen as the power prioritising global peace and development?" Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece The Global Times opined on Sunday .

"When more countries view the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through the lens of the US perspective and take into account the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is expected that more countries will align their choices with the development trend of the new order."

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Russia Expects a Visit From China’s Xi Jinping in the Spring, Ministry Says

T he Russian government is anticipating a visit from Chinese leader Xi Jinping this spring, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

“Through joint efforts in the coming year, Russia and China will be able to strengthen and advance bilateral interstate ties,” the ministry said in a statement . “As it is known, Russian President V.V. Putin invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to a government visit in the spring. We are proceeding with the understanding that this will be the central event for the bilateral relationship in 2023.”

The meeting, which would be the second in-person meeting between Xi and Putin since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine last February, could signal a deepening of ties between the two states. As many countries have sanctioned Russia in response to the invasion, China is one of the countries credited with keeping the Russian economy afloat by continuing to maintain trade with Russia.

Read More: U.S. Four-Star General Predicts War With China By 2025

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has not yet confirmed Xi’s visit. In a statement to RIA News, a Russian state-owned news agency, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that “China and Russia maintain close cooperation at various levels to promote the development of bilateral relations and to contribute to the support of peace and development in the entire world.” TIME reached out to the Chinese and Russian ministries of foreign affairs for further comment.

Putin has publicly encouraged Xi to pay him a visit since at least December, when Putin invited Xi to visit Moscow in spring 2023 in a statement on Russian state television, Reuters reported at the time. “This will demonstrate to the whole world the strength of Russian-Chinese ties on key issues,” Putin said in the address.

In its statement discussing the meeting on Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed one of the main tenets of Russian foreign policy: the importance of strengthening alliances among non-western countries to counter growing alliances like NATO . Russia has used its concerns about NATO to justify the invasion of Ukraine, and in recent years, has criticized what it characterizes as encroachment on its borders , including its military presence in eastern Europe .

The ministry’s statement emphasized that a stronger relationship between Russia and China will build a “multipolar system of international relations,” as opposed to one dominated by the United States: “Together with others who are like-minded we consistently oppose the attempts of the United States to achieve global dominance by the promotion of the concept of ‘rule based order,’” the statement said.

Read More: What to Know About Notorious Russian Mercenary Organization ‘The Wagner Group’

Since the beginning of the war, China has walked a delicate balancing act, maintaining that it is neutral on the conflict in Ukraine while simultaneously keeping close ties with Russia and rejecting arguments to restrict trade. At times, this has threatened China’s fragile relationship with the U.S.

On January 24, Bloomberg reported that the Biden administration had accused companies owned by the Chinese state of assisting the Russian war in Ukraine, and that the administration is working to determine if the government in Beijing was cognizant of what was going on. Mao has denied China’s involvement, calling the U.S. accusations “paranoia,” Bloomberg reported .

In a response to a request from TIME, a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department said the U.S. is monitoring Beijing’s activity closely. “We are concerned about the PRC’s alignment with Russia as Moscow continues its brutal and unlawful invasion of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. “Beijing claims to be neutral, but its behavior makes clear it is still investing in close ties to Russia. The United States and Europe have warned the PRC of the consequences of providing Russia military assistance for its war against Ukraine or systematic assistance with sanctions evasion.”

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Russia’s Vladimir Putin visits ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping in China

Putin is attending China’s Belt and Road summit for a third time but the meeting could be overshadowed by wars.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

Xi invited his “dear friend” Putin to China’s third Belt and Road Initiative forum where the leaders of 130 countries will discuss one of Xi’s signature international projects.

Keep reading

China prepares for belt and road summit in shadow of israel-gaza war, n korea’s kim wishes russia’s putin victory against ‘imperialists’, russia’s putin makes rare visit to kyrgyzstan despite icc arrest warrant.

But the meeting’s theme is likely to be overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war as well as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine .

China is one of the first countries Putin has visited since the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March, accusing the Russian leader of illegally deporting children from Ukraine.

China is not one of the 123 countries that are members of the ICC, so it is not obliged to transfer Putin to The Hague for trial.

Earlier this month, Putin visited Kyrgyzstan but China is the first outside of former Soviet republic countries he has visited this year. Kyrgyzstan is also not an ICC member.

Beijing has rejected Western criticism of its partnership with Moscow even as the war in Ukraine continues, insisting that their ties do not violate international norms and that China has the right to collaborate with whichever country it chooses.

Trade between neighbouring China and Russia has been soaring since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Beijing importing Russian oil after other countries placed sanctions on Russian imports.

In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN ahead of his visit this week, Putin said that a “multipolar world is taking shape, and the concepts and initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping are highly relevant and significant”, CGTN reported.

Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Beijing ahead of Putin and held talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday.

Xi and Putin last met in Russia in March this year. Speaking at the Kremlin during that visit, Xi told Putin, “Right now there are changes – the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years – and we are the ones driving these changes together.”

Putin last visited China for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022 when Russia and China released a sweeping 5,000-word statement reaffirming their no-limits relationship – days before the Russian president sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

It is the third time Putin has attended the Belt and Road forum, which continues until Wednesday. He attended the two previous meetings in 2017 and 2019.

Putin has also accepted an invitation from leader Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea after the two presidents met in Russia last month.

Russia’s foreign ministry has already confirmed that Lavrov will visit Pyongyang after leaving Beijing.

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Xi Jinping to visit Russia in show of support for Vladimir Putin

China says president will meet Russian leader next week with aim of deepening partnership

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates

China’s president is to visit Russia next week in an apparent show of support for Vladimir Putin , the Chinese foreign ministry has said.

The Kremlin also announced the visit, scheduled for 20-22 March, saying it would take place “at the invitation of Vladimir Putin”.

Xi Jinping and Putin would be discussing issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China, as well as exchanging views “in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena”, the Kremlin added.

The two leaders will also sign “important” bilateral documents.

The visit will be Xi’s first foreign trip since securing a third term as China’s president at the annual parliamentary session on 10 March. It will also be the first time Xi has visited Putin, the man who he has previously described as his “best friend”, since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

China and Russia’s “no limits” friendship has been tested by Russia’s war in Ukraine . The invasion seemed to take China by surprise and since then Xi has tried to play the role of mediator while supporting Putin in international forums. China has blocked G20 statements condemning the war and abstained from UN votes on the same matter.

Beijing has vigorously denied US claims it is considering sending lethal arms to Russia. Last month Xi published a 12-point “position paper” on the crisis, which was widely dismissed as anodyne. It implicitly blamed Nato for provoking the conflict. Both China and Russia oppose western-led military blocs.

Xi is also reported to be planning a phone call next week with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, although this has not been confirmed.

On Thursday, China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, saying China hoped “Ukraine and Russia will retain hope for dialogue and negotiation and not close the door to a political solution, no matter how difficult and challenging it may be”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Since the start of the invasion trade between Russia and China has increased, and China is the biggest importer of Russian oil.

But Beijing is also trying to maintain its trade relationships with Europe , especially as it seeks to recover economically from three years of its zero-Covid policy. That means Xi is treading a fine line between supporting his best friend and protecting his own interests.

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Biden warns Xi Jinping about China's ongoing support for Russia amid Ukraine war

• US President Joe Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping spoke in a Tuesday phone call.
• The leaders discussed global conflicts, including China's support for Russia amid the Ukraine war. 
• Russia has managed to maintain its economy thanks in part to its trade partnership with China. 

US President Joe Biden warned China's leader Xi Jinping about his government's ongoing support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine during a Tuesday phone call between the two world leaders.

Biden and Xi's conversation this week was the first time they had spoken since meeting for a summit in California last November. A senior administration official told reporters in a background call that the discussion was a "check-in" as the two countries attempt to manage rising global tensions, according to media reports.

Over the course of an hour and 45 minutes, Biden and Xi hit on several hot-button issues, including mounting US concerns regarding China's trade partnership with Russia two years into the latter's war in Ukraine, according to a White House readout of the call.

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More than two years after invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has managed to keep its economy alive, refocusing much of its trade from the West to the East and South, primarily in China and India.

Despite alienating itself from the majority of the world , Russia continues to maintain an economic ally in China, whose ongoing support has helped Russia rebuild its defense industry during a vital moment in the war.

Russia has successfully skirted Western sanctions with the help of China as Beijing becomes an alternative market for Russia's banned oil. Some Russian firms have even seen a boom in business since the war thanks to lucrative trade deals with Chinese companies who buy up Russian energy supplies and provide Russia with machinery and vehicles as payment, according to a recent Reuters story .

A report last month found the Central Bank of Russia is turning to the Chinese yuan for its reserves and to avoid Western sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin even gave Beijing a shout-out soon after winning his reelection last month. Xi followed up by congratulating Putin, issuing a statement affirming the legitimacy of the carefully-engineered election.

Biden and Xi on Tuesday also discussed many of the potential triggers in the two superpower's tenuous relationship, including Taiwan , China's provocations in the South China Sea , and ongoing conflicts around the world, including the war in Israel and Gaza, according to media reports.

The two previously spoke over the phone in July 2022 and met later that year in Bali.

Watch: China, Russia boast that trade is at an "all-time high" despite Western sanctions

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Biden and Xi Jinping discuss Russia-Ukraine war, Taiwan, election security and counternarcotics

President Joe Biden held a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday morning to address U.S. concerns over China’s trade with Russia amid its war with Ukraine, the issues of cyberattacks and election interference, and efforts to counter illicit narcotics traffic, among other regional and global matters, the White House said.

The "check-in" call between Biden and Xi — their first discussion since November — was an opportunity for them to talk about some tough issues and try to ensure that the two countries are responsibly managing their competition with each other, a senior administration official said in a background call with reporters Monday evening.

"Intense competition requires intense diplomacy to manage tensions, address misperceptions and prevent unintended conflict, and this call is one way to do that," the official said.

China’s trade with Russia as that country wages war against Ukraine came up, the White House said in a readout of the call — a topic that has been part of the diplomatic conversations between the U.S. and China since the start of the war, the senior administration official said. The U.S. has grown more concerned over China’s helping to rebuild Russia’s defense industrial base, the official said.

During a White House news briefing Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the two leaders spoke for about an hour and 45 minutes in the call, which was meant to build on their meeting in Woodside, California, in November.

Asked what Biden’s message to Xi was about misinformation campaigns or election interference efforts by the Chinese government or people associated with it, Kirby said the administration has been clear about its concerns over election security in the U.S. and efforts by certain foreign actors, including some from China, to influence the 2024 election.

The Biden administration has undertaken a whole-of-government effort to protect elections from foreign adversaries and continues to underscore its concerns with China and other countries, the senior official said in the preview of the call, adding that it’s not enough to take the Chinese at their word when they say whether they will take action on that and other matters, requiring verification of Beijing's efforts. The administration is also committed to conveying to the Chinese government the U.S. concerns about cyberattacks that compromise critical infrastructure, the official said.

The call was an opportunity for Biden to reaffirm the longtime “One China” policy that recognizes Beijing as China’s only legal government amid Xi's efforts to reunify Taiwan with mainland China and to reiterate the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, especially with regard to the May presidential inauguration in Taiwan, the senior administration official said. Another area for potential discussion was U.S. concerns over China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, including recent actions by Chinese coast guard ships that posed dangers to routine Philippine maritime operations, the official said.

The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that during their “candid and in-depth exchange” of views, Xi stressed that the issue of Taiwan is “the first insurmountable red line” in China-U.S. relations.

“We will not let the separatist activities and external connivance and support of the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces go unchecked,” the news agency reported Xi said. “We hope that the U.S. will implement Mr. President’s positive statement of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ into action.”

While Biden and Xi last spoke over the phone in July 2022, they met in Bali in November 2022 and held a summit meeting in California last November, the senior administration official noted.

In a readout of the call, the White House said Biden and Xi held a “candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of cooperation and areas of difference.”

The leaders reviewed and encouraged progress on key issues, such as counternarcotics cooperation, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence-related risks and climate issues, the White House said.

Biden also emphasized the U.S. commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the White House said.

Kirby added at the briefing that Biden pressed the U.S.’ interest in Chinese company ByteDance ’s divesting its ownership of the popular video-sharing app TikTok , an idea U.S. lawmakers have advanced to protect national security and U.S. citizens’ data security.

Kirby also said Biden was “very clear” with Xi about his “significant differences of opinion and concerns over some unfair market practices” China uses that put U.S. workers at a disadvantage.

According to Xinhua, Xi accused the U.S. of having “launched an endless stream of measures to suppress” China’s economy, trade and technology and noted the U.S. has a growing list of sanctions against Chinese companies.

“This is not ‘risk removal’ but creation of risk,” Xi reportedly said. “If the United States is willing to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation and share the dividends of China’s development, China’s door will always be open; if the United States insists on suppressing China’s high-tech development and depriving China of its legitimate right to development, we will not sit idly by.”

The White House said Biden and Xi expressed support for keeping communication channels open through high-level diplomacy and working-level consultations in the coming weeks and months, including future visits by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Summer Concepcion is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Dawn Liu is a researcher for NBC News based in Beijing.

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China's Xi Jinping to meet with American executives on Wednesday, sources say

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Putin begins visit in China underscoring ties amid Ukraine war and Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk during their meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Sergey Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, rear center, arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, center, arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese honor guards march to welcome Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, ahead of the Third Belt and Road Forum Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

The Russian flag is flown near Tiananmen Square ahead of the Third Belt and Road Forum held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet this week with Chinese leaders in Beijing on a visit that underscores China’s support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Chinese honor guards prepare for the arrival of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ahead of the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

The airplane carrying Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the third Belt and Road Forum, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong, center right, arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Performers dance to welcome Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong at Beijing Capital International Airport, ahead the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong, center, waves as he arrives at Beijing’s airport ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Jade Gao/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese honor guards stand at attention during the arrival of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese honor guards stand at attention after welcoming Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Parker Song/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Sergey Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a photo during their meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Sergey Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Participants of the Belt and Road Forum pose for a photo in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Sergey Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photo during their meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (Sergey Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a visit that underscores China’s support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine as well as Russian backing for China’s bid to expand its economic and diplomatic influence abroad.

The two countries have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that is now complicated by the Israel-Hamas war. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel against its relations with Iran and Syria, two countries that are strongly backed by Russia and with which China has forged ties for economic reasons as well as to challenge Washington’s influence in the Middle East.

Putin’s plane was met by an honor guard as the Russian leader began his visit that is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature “Belt and Road” initiative to build infrastructure and expand China’s overseas influence.

In an interview to Chinese state media, Putin praised the massive but loosely linked BRI projects.

“Yes, we see that some people consider it an attempt by the People’s Republic of China to put someone under its thumb, but we see otherwise. We just see a desire for cooperation,” he told state broadcaster CCTV, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin on Monday.

Putin will be among the highest-profile guests at a gathering marking the 10th anniversary of Xi’s announcement of the BRI project, which has laden countries such as Zambia and Sri Lanka with heavy debt from contracts with Chinese companies to build roads, airports and other public works they could not otherwise afford. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has praised the Chinese policy as bringing development to neglected areas.

The gathering has also given Putin an opportunity to meet with other global leaders who have criticized the Western approach to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Speaking at a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country is a member of the European Union as well as NATO, Putin said the countries have maintained good ties despite recent tensions.

“It causes satisfaction that we have managed to preserve and develop relations with many European countries, including Hungary,” Putin said at the start of the talks with Orban.

Orban, who has repeatedly criticized Western sanctions against Russia, noted that his country has remained eager to maintain ties with Russia.

“Hungary never wanted to confront Russia. Hungary always has been eager to expand contacts,” Orban told Putin. Hungary has continued to pursue contacts with Russia in the nuclear power and gas energy fields despite EU sanctions.

Asked by reporters Friday about his visit, Putin said it would encompass talks on Belt and Road-related projects, which he said Moscow wants to link with efforts by an economic alliance of former Soviet Union nations mostly located in Central Asia to “achieve common development goals.”

He also downplayed the impact of China’s economic influence in a region that Russia has long considered its backyard and where it has worked to maintain political and military clout.

“We don’t have any contradictions here, on the contrary, there is a certain synergy,” Putin said.

Putin said he and Xi would also discuss growing economic ties between Moscow and Beijing in energy, high-tech and financial industries. China has also grown in importance as an export destination for Russia.

Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said that from China’s view, “Russia is a safe neighbor that is friendly, that is a source of cheap raw materials, that’s a support for Chinese initiatives on the global stage and that’s also a source of military technologies, some of those that China doesn’t have.”

“For Russia, China is its lifeline, economic lifeline in its brutal repression against Ukraine,” Gabuev told The Associated Press.

“It’s the major market for Russian commodities, it’s a country that provides its currency and payment system to settle Russia’s trade with the outside world — with China itself, but also with many other countries, and is also the major source of sophisticated technological imports, including dual-use goods that go into the Russian military machine.”

Gabuev said that while Moscow and Beijing will be unlikely to forge a full-fledged military alliance, their defense cooperation will grow.

“Both countries are self-sufficient in terms of security and they benefit from partnering, but neither really requires a security guarantee from the other. And they preach strategic autonomy,” he said.

“There will be no military alliance, but there will be closer military cooperation, more interoperability, more cooperation on projecting force together, including in places like the Arctic and more joint effort to develop a missile defense that makes the U.S. nuclear planning and planning of the U.S. and its allies in Asia and in Europe more complicated,” he added.

The Chinese and Soviets were Cold War rivals for influence among left-leaning states, but China and Russia have since partnered in the economic, military and diplomatic spheres.

Just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, Putin met with Xi in Beijing and the sides signed an agreement pledging a “no-limits” relationship. Beijing’s attempts to present itself as a neutral peace broker in Russia’s war on Ukraine have been widely dismissed by the international community.

Xi visited Moscow in March as part of a flurry of exchanges between the countries. China has condemned international sanctions imposed on Russia, but hasn’t directly addressed an arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court on charges of alleged involvement in the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.

Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.

Biden and Xi Jinping’s First Call Since November Talks: Commitment to Sustaining Communication Channels

Discussion on south china sea, taiwan, and north korean nuclear threats in biden- xi jinping conversation biden raises concerns over tiktok with xi jinping treasury secretary yellen’s visit to china scheduled for the 3rd to 9th.

A mid escalating tensions between the United States and China, President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in their first dialogue since their summit last November.

According to CNN on March 2nd (local time), the White House announced, “The two leaders engaged in a candid and constructive conversation on various issues for an hour and 45 minutes.” Additionally, they stated, “Both leaders expressed appreciation for ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication and responsibly manage the relationship through high-level diplomatic and working-level consultations in the coming weeks and months.” Their last telephone conversation occurred in July 2022.

It is reported that Presidents Biden and Xi discussed recent escalations in the South China Sea, human rights abuses in China, the Taiwan issue, the conflict in Ukraine, and threats from North Korea’s nuclear program. They also exchanged views on drug trafficking, artificial intelligence (AI), and strategies for addressing climate change.

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The White House disclosed, “President Biden conveyed his commitment to taking necessary measures to prevent the misuse of advanced U.S. technology to undermine national security while avoiding excessive restrictions on trade and investment.”

Furthermore, President Biden reportedly addressed issues related to TikTok during the conversation. White House National Security Communications Director John Kirby clarified, “President Biden emphasized a focus on the divestiture of TikTok, rather than advocating for a ban,” adding, “This pertains to national security and the protection of American data.”

Read more: U.S. and Japan Forge Alliance to Tackle China's Semiconductor Supremacy

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will visit China from March 3rd to 9th. This visit marks her first to China in nine months since July of last year, and discussions are anticipated to revolve around China’s unfair trade practices.

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