BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin hailed the strengthening of bilateral ties in the face of a “turbulent” global situation, in a video call on Wednesday (Feb 4).
Several hours later, Chinese state media said Xi held a phone call with United States President Donald Trump, without immediately providing further details.
China and Russia have sought to present a united front against the West, with ties deepening since Moscow’s 2022 Ukraine offensive.
The Xi-Putin call, which a Kremlin aide said lasted nearly an hour and a half, came ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s military campaign later this month.
Moscow has increasingly relied on China throughout the conflict to keep its economy afloat while faced with crippling Western sanctions.
“Since the beginning of the year, the international situation has become increasingly turbulent,” Xi told Putin in a readout reported by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
“Both sides should … ensure that China-Russia relations continue to develop steadily along the right track, through deeper strategic coordination and a more proactive and effective commitment as major powers,” the Chinese president said.
Addressing Xi as his “dear friend”, Putin expressed a similar message, saying “the foreign policy alliance between Moscow and Beijing remains an important stabilising factor”.
“The Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation is exemplary,” Putin said in the video broadcast on Russian state TV.
Neither leader went into detail on what strategic areas they would deepen coordination on.
