Aernan Lubem
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed Russia’s “model” relations with China in a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and confirmed he would attend Beijing’s Olympics, as both countries face increasing criticism from the West.
According to reports, the video call came days after G7 foreign ministers discussed Moscow’s display of military force against Ukraine and Beijing’s crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Putin said in a national television broadcast of the conversation after he said he would attend the Games, calling Xi his “dear friend’.
Chinese state news agency reported Xi saying “China-Russia relations have withstood all kinds of stern tests, and are showing new dynamism and vitality.
Newsmen gathered that the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia are not sending political representatives to the Olympics over China’s abuse of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
Both China and Russia have seen their relationship with Western nations deteriorate in recent years and have sought to project a more unified front.
