Xi hails Putin friendship, Sino-Russia ties
President Xi Jinping hailed his close friendship with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as he hosted the Russian leader for talks that celebrated their nations' deepening political and economic ties. The two met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the sidelines of a the Belt and Road forum. "The political mutual trust between the two countries is continuously deepening," Xi said, according to Xinhua news agency, hailing their "close and effective strategic coordination". The president 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 Belt and Road Summit hosted by Xi in Beijing to celebrate his Belt and Road Initiative, a vast trade and infrastructure project. Despite international attention focused on the Israel-Gaza conflict, neither Xi nor Putin made public comments on the war that has raged for more than 10 days. President Xi did, however, call for joint efforts by China and Russia to "safeguard international fairness" and "justice", Xinhua said. China is Russia's largest trading partner, with exchange between the nations reaching a record US$190 billion last year, Beijing customs data shows. And Xi said on Wednesday that it was progressing towards a goal of US$200 billion set by the two countries in bilateral meetings this year. For his part, Putin stressed the importance of "close coordination in foreign policy" in "the current difficult conditions". "And we are doing it, and today we will discuss this," Putin was quoted as saying in a Kremlin readout. Xinhua also reported that during the meeting, Putin had called the Belt and Road Initiative a “widely-recognised international public good” and that he hopes more countries will join. State broadcaster CCTV reported shortly before 3pm that the tete-a-tete had finished, carrying footage of Putin being whisked away in a motorcade. (AFP, Xinhua)