<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/16/vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-announce-plans-strengthen-military-ties-beijing>
"Russia and China have announced they will deepen their already close military
ties, as Vladimir Putin met Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first foreign trip
since being inaugurated for a new term as Russia’s president.
It is the latest in a string of statements and signals that the warm
relationship between the two countries is as strong as it has ever been.
Xi’s red carpet welcome for Putin – a man he has described as his “best friend”
– comes after a whistle-stop tour in Europe where the Chinese president faced
tough questions on his country’s economic and political behaviour. On Tuesday,
the Biden administration announced tariffs on $18bn (£14bn) of Chinese goods,
angering Beijing.
In a press conference shortly after their meeting on Thursday, and before the
two leaders sat down for a celebratory concert to mark the 75th anniversary of
formal China-Russia relations, Putin praised the “warm and comradely” talks
with Xi. In return, Xi said the friendship between China and Russia was
“everlasting” and had “become a model for a new type of international
relations”.
The two-day visit is packed with symbolic gestures that underline the mutually
beneficial friendship that has blossomed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine."
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