Russia's Vladimir Putin arrives in Beijing to meet 'dear friend' Xi Jinping

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to hold a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Putin’s visit to China comes after Jinping invited him to attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. The Russian leader’s rare foreign trip is being widely watched as it is aimed at portraying the deep mutual trust and “no-limits” partnership between Russia and China.

#WATCH | Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Beijing airport, in China.

(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/759g3LC9L8

— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2023

Putin and his entourage flew to Beijing on Tuesday morning. The Kremlin chief has refrained from making foreign trips since a Hague-based international court issued an arrest warrant against him in March, accusing him of committing war crimes.

Putin arrived in Beijing with an honor guard meeting his plane. His visit is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road initiative to build infrastructure and expand China’s overseas influence.

The Russian president last visited China last year during the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022. This is when both countries declared a “no-limits” partnership.

Ahead of his visit to Beijing, Putin said, “In my opinion, the main advantage of the cooperation concept proposed by China is that within the framework of cooperation, no one imposes anything on others.”

“This is the difference between President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative and other projects pursued by countries with a colonialist flavor,” he added.

With inputs from AP