Just days after US President Donald Trump concluded his high-profile visit to Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping rolled out another elaborate welcome at the Great Hall of the People, this time for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting came amid rising geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, war in the Middle East and growing rivalry between Washington, Moscow and Beijing. Both Xi and Putin repeatedly described their ties as stronger than ever, while taking veiled swipes at the United States and presenting themselves as defenders of a multipolar world order.
