Russia’s Vladimir Putin visits ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping in China
Putin is attending China’s Belt and Road summit for a third time but the meeting could be overshadowed by wars.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
Xi invited his “dear friend” Putin to China’s third Belt and Road Initiative forum where the leaders of 130 countries will discuss one of Xi’s signature international projects.
But the meeting’s theme is likely to be overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas was as well as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
China is one of the first countries Putin has visited since the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March, accusing the Russian leader of illegally deporting children from Ukraine.
China is not one of the 123 countries that are members of the ICC, so it is not obliged to transfer Putin to The Hague for trial.
Earlier this month, Putin visited Kyrgyzstan but China is the first outside of former Soviet republic countries he has visited this year. Kyrgyzstan is also not an ICC member.
Beijing has rejected Western criticism of its partnership with Moscow even as the war in Ukraine continues, insisting that their ties do not violate international norms and that China has the right to collaborate with whichever country it chooses.
