Xi’s trip to Moscow didn’t impress the west – but his most important audience is at home

The official narrative in China is that the US responds to problems militarily, while China uses dialogue, and there are signs this narrative is catching on

As Xi Jinping returns to Beijing after his first trip to Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, the contradictory forces that dominate the Chinese leader’s relationship with Moscow are no closer to being resolved. Xi wants to be a strong ally to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and a global peacemaker. Both cannot be true.

The red carpet and more – a brass band, Siberian salmon – was rolled out for Xi’s two-day visit to Moscow. Xi and Putin raised a glass to the “deepening of the Russian-Chinese partnership”. As well as shared political and economic interests, the relationship is also characterised to an unusual degree by the personal bond between Xi and Putin. Xi has described the Russian president as his “best friend” and has said that their characters are alike.

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Despite Xi’s trip to Russia, dialogue between China and Ukraine is still possible

Kyiv remains keen not to anger Beijing given its influence over Moscow, and Zelenskiy is open to a meeting

Hours after Xi Jinping wrapped up a state dinner hosted in a lavish 15th-century palace, where he extolled Beijing’s “positive role” in Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Russia sent a swarm of drones to Ukraine that killed seven people in a town south of Kyiv.

Commenting on the attack, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, wrote: “Every time someone tries to hear the word ‘peace’ in Moscow, another order is given there for such criminal strikes.”

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Putin’s two-day charm offensive with Xi underlines who’s boss

Kremlin toasts the Russian-Chinese partnership, which appears warm but far from equal

Standing alongside Xi Jinping in the 15th-century Chamber of Facets, one of the most historic ceremonial venues at the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin raised his glass of white wine.

He proceeded to make a toast to the “health of our great friend Xi and the deepening of the Russian-Chinese partnership”, before ending his speech with the phrase ganbei, Chinese for “empty glass”.

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Putin welcomes China’s controversial proposals for peace in Ukraine

But US warns against ‘any tactical move by Russia to freeze the war on its own terms’

Vladimir Putin has welcomed China’s proposals for peace in Ukraine at a joint press conference with Xi Jinping in Moscow – a plan the west has warned would allow the Kremlin to “freeze” its territorial gains in the country.

Speaking at the Kremlin during a joint news conference after the second day of talks with China’s president, Xi Jinping, Putin said Beijing’s peace plan “correlates to the point of view of the Russian Federation” and said that Ukraine’s western allies so far have shown no interest in it.

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Xi Jinping invites Vladimir Putin to China at Kremlin meeting – video

Xi Jinping has invited Vladimir Putin to visit China this year in a symbolic show of support after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s president over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

Putin and Xi held a second day of talks after Putin said he was open to discussing China’s proposals on putting an end to the fighting in Ukraine and the US called on Xi to press him to 'halt the war crimes'.

Xi’s trip to Moscow has been viewed as a major boost for Putin amid international condemnation over his invasion of Ukraine

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‘He is my best friend’: 10 years of strengthening ties between Putin and Xi

The Russian and Chinese leaders have met more than 40 times in recent years, fortifying personal and formal relations

A visit by China’s president, Xi Jinping, to Moscow this week has shone a light on his strengthening relationship with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders have met more than 40 times in recent years, growing increasingly familiar, and now refer to each other as “dear friends”. Xi has been described as a great friend by other world leaders before, including Robert Mugabe and Donald Trump, but does not always reciprocate the compliment like he has with Putin.

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Screenings of Winnie the Pooh horror film cancelled in Hong Kong

Distributor gives no reason for cancellation, but Chinese censors have targeted Pooh before due to Xi Jinping comparisons

The screening of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a British slasher film due to be released in Hong Kong this week, has been cancelled, its distributor said on Tuesday, without giving a reason for pulling it.

VII Pillars Entertainment said on its Facebook page that it was with “great regret” that the scheduled release of the film on 23 March had been cancelled. It did not give further details.

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Xi invites Putin to China in show of support as Moscow talks continue

Chinese and Russian leaders to discuss Ukraine in formal talks after friendly dinner, while Fumio Kishida meets Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv

Xi Jinping has invited Vladimir Putin to visit China this year in a symbolic show of support after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s president over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

The Chinese leader extended the invitation during a meeting on Tuesday morning with the Russian prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, as part of his state visit to Moscow.

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‘We’re a bit jealous of China’: Vladimir Putin greets Xi Jinping in Kremlin – video

In remarks at the Kremlin, Putin told the Chinese leader that Russia was 'a bit jealous' of China’s rapid development in recent decades.

During a meeting in which he invited Xi to sit close to him – in contrast to the long white table at which he sat with the French president, Emmanuel Macron – the Russian president said he welcomed Beijing’s proposal to end the 'acute crisis' in Ukraine and viewed the plan with respect

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Xi Jinping says China ready to ‘stand guard over world order’ on Moscow visit

Chinese leader expected to position himself as peacemaker as Vladimir Putin welcomes his ‘good old friend’

Xi Jinping said China was ready with Russia “to stand guard over the world order based on international law” as he arrived for a state visit to Moscow that comes days after Vladimir Putin was made the subject of an arrest warrant by the international criminal court.

The Chinese leader is expected to position himself as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine war during his two-day visit to Russia – his first state visit since Putin’s invasion. For his part, the Russian president will be hoping to project unity in the face of western isolation, as the US condemned Xi for providing “diplomatic cover” for Moscow to continue to commit further crimes in Ukraine.

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Xi Jinping will get Putin’s ‘view’ of war in Ukraine, says Kremlin official – video

Vladimir Putin will provide Xi Jinping with 'clarifications' on Russia's point of view on the Ukraine conflict during the Chinese leader's state visit to Russia, the Kremlin has said. 

During a call with reporters, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the two presidents would discuss themes in the peace plan for Ukraine proposed by China.

This is China’s president first visit to Russia for four years and will last three days.

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China’s Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin – video

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, arrived in Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, days after the international criminal court charged the Russian president with war crimes in Ukraine.

Xi and Putin declared they had a 'no-limits friendship' before the February 2022 attack on Ukraine, but Beijing has tried to portray itself as neutral in the conflict

This is China’s president first visit to Russia for four years and will last three days

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US warns world ‘should not be fooled’ by Xi’s ‘peace’ proposal as Chinese leader meets ‘dear friend’ Putin – as it happened

Antony Blinken says China proposals could be ‘stalling tactic’ to help Russian troops in Ukraine as Xi Jinping meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow. This live blog is closed

Associated Press reports that European Union ministers will meet today to try to finalise a plan to supply Ukraine with artillery shells, replenish their own national stocks and ramp up Europe’s defence industry.

The 27-nation bloc’s foreign and defence ministers will discuss the plan at a joint session in Brussels. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba is due to provide an update of the latest developments in the war and set out his country’s military needs.

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‘Good old friend’: Putin offers praise for Xi ahead of first trip to Russia since Ukraine invasion

Russian president lauds Xi ahead of meeting, while Beijing calls for a ‘rational way’ out of the crisis

Vladimir Putin has praised “good old friend” Xi Jinping in a newspaper article published in China on the eve of a state visit by the Chinese president that will reaffirm the leaders’ strong ties and provide Moscow with an opportunity to emphasise that it has not been isolated by the global community.

The two leaders, who are believed to share a strong personal relationship, will meet one-on-one on Monday, followed by an informal lunch, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said.

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Putin welcomes China’s willingness to play ‘constructive role’ in solving ‘Ukraine crisis’

Russian president says he has high hopes for ‘good old friend’ Xi Jinping’s impending visit to Moscow

Vladimir Putin has welcomed China’s willingness to play a “constructive role” in solving in what he called the Ukraine “crisis”, in an article released on the eve of a visit by his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

In what the Kremlin said was an article written for a Chinese newspaper on Sunday, the Russian president called Xi his “good old friend” and said Russia had high hopes for his visit, the Chinese leader’s first to Russia since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine last year.

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