Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin exchanged congratulatory letters ahead of Putin’s scheduled visit to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Xi said cooperation between Russia and China has continuously deepened and that 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of their strategic partnership. The closely timed visits of the US and Russian presidents drew attention, with analysts noting the rarity of hosting US and Russia leaders back-to-back in the post–Cold War era. Western diplomats and analysts expressed concern that China’s economic and diplomatic support has helped sustain Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2022. China and Russia have met more than 40 times, and bilateral trade has reached record levels, with China buying over one-quarter of Russia’s exports and purchasing more than $367 billion of Russian fossil fuels since the full-scale invasion.
"Xi, China's leader, said bilateral cooperation between Russia and China had continuously deepened and solidified, with this year marking the 30th anniversary of the two countries' strategic partnership, according to Chinese state media."
"An article published in state media tabloid the Global Times on Monday said the visits of the US and Russian presidents showed Beijing was fast emerging as the focal point of global diplomacy. The tightly sequenced visits have sparked widespread attention, with analysts noting that it is extremely rare in the post-cold war era for a country to host the leaders of the US and Russia back-to-back within a week, the Global Times said."
"China's economic and diplomatic support for Russia since then has helped to sustain the conflict, according to western diplomats and analysts. The two men have met on more than 40 occasions, far outstripping Xi's encounters with western leaders."
"China and Russia's bilateral trade has soared to record levels since 2022, with China purchasing more than one-quarter of Russia's exports. China's large purchases of Russian crude oil have supplied Moscow with hundreds of billions of dollars of revenue for the war in Ukraine. Beijing has bought more than $367bn of Russian fossil fuels since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to data collected by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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