Russia’s Putin says world conflicts ‘strengthen’ ties with China

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik shows Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands during a meeting in Beijing on 18 October 2023 - AFP

BEIJING, AFP: Russian leader Vladimir Putin said yesterday that world conflicts “strengthen” his country’s relations with China, after talks with Xi Jinping that celebrated their nations’ deepening political and economic ties.

Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, met his “old friend” Xi in Beijing on the sidelines of a major forum in an event overshadowed by conflict in the Middle East.

At a press conference following the talks, Putin said that global turmoil served to bring China and Russia even closer together.

“All these outside factors are common threats, and they strengthen Russian-Chinese cooperation,” he said.

The Russian leader also said he had “optimism” for the future of the relationship.

Xi, too, said that “political mutual trust between the two countries is continuously deepening”, according to Xinhua news agency, hailing their “close and effective strategic coordination”.

Xi noted that he had met with Putin 42 times in the past decade, saying they had “developed a good working relationship and a deep friendship”.

Putin was the guest of honour at the summit hosted by Xi in Beijing this week to celebrate his Belt and Road Initiative, a vast trade and infrastructure project.

International attention has been focused on the Israel-Gaza conflict, which has raged for more than 10 days, and both Russia and China condemned the Tuesday night strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds.

Putin on Wednesday said the strike was a “tragedy” and showed the need to bring the conflict between Israel and Hamas to an end.

“This is a terrible event... I really hope that this will be a signal that this conflict needs to end as soon as possible,” he said.

China’s foreign ministry said it was “shocked by and strongly condemns” the strike, calling for an “immediate ceasefire”.