Xi welcomes Putin, touts "unyielding" Russia-China ties and warns "hegemonic countercurrents running rampant"
Beijing —China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin met Wednesday in Beijing, just days after President Trump left the Chinese capital.
The two major U.S. adversaries sought to underscore their close ties with a host of business deals - and to show a united front against "unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents" amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Below are some key takeaways from the talks between the two leaders in Bejing.
China lauds "unyielding" ties with Russia, and takes a jab at U.S.
Xi and Putin — who have met dozens of times over the past decade — were keen to showcase their unshakeable relations in the aftermath of Mr. Trump's visit to Beijing.
Neither leader referred to the United States directly on Wednesday, but Putin said ties were at an "unprecedentedly high level," while Xi described the two nations' relations as "unyielding."
The Chinese leader also took a loosely veiled swipe at the Mr. Trump's policies, warning of "unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents running rampant" in the international system.
And while Mr. Trump left Beijing with few concrete announcements, Xi and Putin signed a slew of agreements on trade, media, and energy.
They said they were extending their treaty of "friendly cooperation," and both leaders lauded their countries' special ties.
Putin also invited Xi to visit Russia next year, and said he intended to be at November's APEC summit in Shenzhen, which Mr. Trump has also said he will try to attend.
China says "comprehensive ceasefire" in Iran war "of utmost urgency"
Xi told Putin that the Middle East was at a "critical juncture" and called for an "early end to the conflict," in particular to secure energy supplies.
"A comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable and maintaining negotiations is particularly important," he said.
The two sides stressed the need for dialogue and negotiations, according to a joint statement released by the Kremlin.
Xi's priorities may differ from the Russian president's, however, as the pinch on crude and gas flows from the Middle East gives an opportunity to Putin to offer Russian energy sources as an alternative.
The Russian leader described the energy sector as "the locomotive of economic cooperation", adding that Russia would remain a "reliable supplier" of resources to China against the backdrop of the war.
No breakthrough on Russia-China gas pipeline long sought by Moscow
China is the world's top buyer of Russian fossil fuels, making it a key economic partner of Moscow, which is facing Western sanctions on oil and gas over the Ukraine war.
But the Kremlin said Wednesday that there had been no breakthrough on the proposed "Power of Siberia 2" natural gas pipeline to boost Russian exports to China, which Moscow has been pushing for years.
It could potentially carry 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which would help make up for the exports Russia used to send to Europe before it launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Britain and EU nations have worked aggressively to wean themselves off Russian gas amid the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media on Wednesday that while the two sides had reached a "basic understanding" — including on the route and how it will be built — there was no "clear timeline," and "there are still some details to be worked out."
Beijing is wary of becoming over-reliant on any one country for energy and, as Russia's main economic backer, it remains in a strong position to negotiate on price.
China and Russia call for solution to "root causes" of Ukraine war
The two sides agreed that there needed to be a solution to the "root causes" of the Ukraine conflict, while supporting "the search for a solution through dialogue and negotiations."
Beijing has regularly called for talks to end the war in Ukraine, but has never condemned Russia for sending in troops and continues to prop up Russia's economy with vital revenue and dual-use equipment.
Xi has stuck to this stance during talks with Mr. Trump, and now with Putin.
"The Russian side positively assesses the objective and unbiased position of the Chinese side regarding the situation in Ukraine and welcomes China's aspiration to play a constructive role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis by political and diplomatic means," the joint statement said.
Putin and his top aides have claimed since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it was necessary to protect Russian interests as the U.S.-led NATO defense alliance expanded eastward. But they have offered other rationales for the unilateral attack, too, including baseless claims that the Western-backed government of Ukraine's Jewish President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "neo-Nazi."