own visit to Beijing. The two countries' ties have deepened since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as Russia has become increasingly dependent on China, its main oil customer. Putin was received by Xi outside Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People in much the same fashion as Trump last week, complete with chanting children and military fanfare. But the language was much warmer, with Xi telling the Russian leader Beijing and Moscow have "continuously deepened our political mutual trust and strategic coordination with a resilience that remains unyielding", according to Chinese state media.

Opening talks, both were quick to laud their countries' special ties as they extended their treaty of "friendly cooperation". Putin, quoting a Chinese phrase, told Xi: "A day apart feels like three autumns", adding that relations had reached an "unprecedentedly high level" despite "unfavourable external factors", Russian media footage showed. In an apparent swipe at the United States, Xi warned of "unilateral and hegemonic countercurrents running rampant" in the world. In contrast to Trump's visit last week, which yielded little in the way of immediate concrete announcements, Putin and Xi signed a slew of agreements on Wednesday on trade, media and energy. The two leaders later had talks over tea, which the Kremlin had previously said would be reserved for "the most important issues" such as Ukraine, Iran and relations with the US. That session lasted around 1.5 hours before Putin headed to the airport, according to Russian media. (Bssnews)