Chinese President Xi Jinping lavished praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin in a preview of his state visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg this week.
“I have had closer interactions with President Putin than with any other foreign colleagues,” Xi said in an interview published by TASS, a Kremlin-run outlet. “He is my best and bosom friend. I cherish dearly our deep friendship.”
Xi’s compliments were juxtaposed with criticism of President Trump’s key foreign policies, such as the withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. His praise for Putin, on the other hand, was offered as a personal ratification of a strategic partnership between the two powers.
“China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is now at its best in history,” Xi said. “Most importantly, we share a high degree of consensus on the strategic significance of the China-Russia relationship and therefore the same resolve and desire to deepen and sustain its growth.”
Xi and Putin are meeting in Moscow on Wednesday before proceeding to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Chinese state-run media framed the trip as a diplomatic show of strength in the face of U.S. sanctions on Russia and tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that threaten to impose “excruciating” economic pain on the regime and is already driving up food prices in China.
The communist leader implicitly maintained that the regime and the Chinese economy would prove resilient in the face of U.S. tariffs.
“The Chinese economy is mainly driven by domestic consumption,” Xi noted, before touting “the political advantage” provided by the Communist Party’s authority to mandate new policies as needed. “We therefore have all the necessary conditions as well as the capability and confidence to deal with any risks and challenges.”
