Russian President Vladimir Putin will ride a wave of momentum into China on Thursday for two days of talks with leader Xi Jinping, with the two sides discussing ways to challenge the US-led world order while boosting Moscow’s economic resilience amid the war in Moscow. Ukraine.
Putin will make China his first foreign travel destination since his re-election in March, emphasizing the two countries’ “no-limits” partnership as his forces continue their recent string of advances in Ukraine. His trip also comes just days after he revamped his cabinet – packed with officials with deep ties to China – in a move widely seen as him resigning himself to a long confrontation in Ukraine.
Xi, meanwhile, will have to walk a fine line with Putin as he tries to push back against the US while striving to maintain slowly improving ties with Washington as well as access to the global economic system.
