Underscoring the importance of Xi’s support for the Kremlin, Putin headed to Beijing earlier this week in what was his first trip abroad since re-election and the second in six months to China
A vaunted ‘new era’ of strategic partnership between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Xi Jinping may not exactly have been sealed with a kiss, but it did lead to rare hugs between them.
Underscoring the importance of Xi’s support for the Kremlin, Putin headed to Beijing earlier this week in what was his first trip abroad since his March re-election and the second in just over six months to China.
Russia, grappling with Western sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine, is increasingly reliant on its booming trade with China, which is challenging US supremacy in areas from quantum computing to espionage and hard military power.
And although President Xi, in keeping with the tenets of China’s political culture, is not known for effusive displays of warmth, he gripped Putin tightly by the shoulders and pulled him in for a pair of firm, if awkward, hugs.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showing the leaders enjoying the uncharacteristic embrace in the evening air of the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in the Chinese capital as aides and officials fawned and clapped from the sidelines.
