Days after returning from a trip to Europe where he was lectured about the need to rein in Russia, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, used a summit with President Vladimir V. Putin to convey an uncomfortable reality to the West: His support for Mr. Putin remains steadfast.
Mr. Xi’s talks with Mr. Putin this week were a show of solidarity between two autocrats battling Western pressure.
The two leaders put out a lengthy statement that denounced what they saw as American interference and bullying and laid out their alignment on China’s claim to self-ruled Taiwan and Russia’s “legitimate security interests” in Ukraine.
They pledged to expand economic and military ties, highlighted by Mr. Putin’s visit to a cutting-edge Chinese institute for defense research.
Mr. Xi even initiated a cheek-to-cheek hug as he bade Mr. Putin farewell on Thursday after an evening stroll in the Chinese Communist Party leadership compound in Beijing.
Persons:
Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, Xi’s, Mr, Russia’s, Putin’s, Xi
Organizations:
West, Chinese Communist Party
Locations:
Europe, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Beijing