MOSCOW -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met Wednesday with Vladimir Putin in Russia, where the two leaders heaped praise on the relationship between their countries as tensions with the United States mount.
"I have had closer interactions with President Putin than with any other foreign colleagues. He is my best and bosom friend," Xi told Russian state news agency Tass ahead of his three-day trip to Russia. After meeting with Putin on Wednesday, Xi will attend an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia's answer to Davos.
Both countries are locked in economic battles with the United States. For China, a trade war with Washington continues to rage, and neither President Donald Trump's administration nor Beijing showing any signs of letting up.
"Protectionism and unilateral approaches are on the rise, and a policy of force and hegemonism is increasingly taking hold," Xi said.
Russia's economy has been affected by several rounds of sanctions, imposed by the United States and Europe over a range of issues, from election meddling to the war in Syria to the alleged poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.
Ahead of their private meeting in the Russian capital Wednesday, Putin said relations between the erstwhile Cold War foes had "without any exaggeration, reached an unprecedented level."
The Russian leader emphasized that Moscow and Beijing have the same view on many global issues, particularly noting their shared opposition to Washington's withdrawal from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a key Cold War-era arms control pact.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, Putin and Xi criticized the U.S. move, saying it will "undermine strategic stability."
They also voiced worry about the growing threat of an arms race in space, calling for a legally binding international agreement banning weapons in orbit.
"A ban on deployment of any weapons in space would avert a serious threat to global peace and security," Putin and Xi said in a statement.
The two leaders, whose talks Wednesday marked the 29th time they have met since 2013, will discuss a number of issues this week, according to the Kremlin, including relations with the United States, the situation in Venezuela, Iran, and the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's first visit to Russia, which took place in April.
The two leaders also were expected to discuss Russia's energy exports to China, analysts said.
They visited Moscow's main zoo, where two pandas donated earlier this year by China were unveiled. Then, Putin and Xi headed to the Bolshoi Theater for an evening performance.
Information for this article was contributed by Amie Ferris-Rotman of The Washington Post; and by Vladimir Isachenkov and Nataliya Vasilyeva of The Associated Press.
A Section on 06/06/2019