In the last minutes of their meeting in Moscow last month, Xi Jinping declared that his Russian counterpart was driving the kind of geopolitical changes not seen in the world in more than 100 years. When Mr Xi extended his right hand for a formal farewell, Vladimir Putin grasped it with both hands and wished him a safe trip, standing there beaming until the Chinese convoy had left the premises.
It was a public display of diplomatic bonhomie between the autocratic allies, signalling two things: Mr Xi’s commitment to what the pair have touted as a “no-limits partnership” and, at the same time, Moscow’s growing dependence on Beijing to avoid being isolated by mounting sanctions since the start of the war in Ukraine.
