<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/xi-jinping-welcomes-dear-friend-vladimir-putin-to-beijing>
"The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has welcomed his “dear friend” Vladimir Putin
to Beijing, kicking off a multilateral summit overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas
war.
Beijing this week hosts representatives of 130 countries for a forum on Xi’s
vast trade and infrastructure project, the belt and road initiative (BRI).
At the top of the guest list is the Russian president, who is on his first trip
to a major global power since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine threw his regime
into international isolation.
Analysts say the invitation of Putin to Xi’s flagship international summit
underlines Beijing’s close relationship with Moscow, even at the cost of
goodwill with the west.
The two leaders met on Tuesday evening at an event kicking off the forum. A
video posted by Russia’s foreign ministry showed them shaking hands and
exchanging pleasantries. They also took part in a group photo with other
leaders attending the summit.
Russia has not officially signed up to the BRI, but Putin is a close ally of
Xi’s."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
