Putin trip aims to show China ties unshakeable

BEIJING, May 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin sets off to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart and his "long-time good friend" Xi Jinping, intending to show their ties are unshakeable days after a visit by Donald Trump.

The confirmation of Putin's trip came just hours after Trump wrapped up his visit on Friday, the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade and one aimed at stabilising their turbulent relations.

Putin and Xi are set to discuss how to "further strengthen" Russia and China's strategic partnership and "exchange views on key international and regional issues", according to a Kremlin statement.

Their ties have deepened since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Putin visiting Beijing every year since as his country is diplomatically cut off on the world stage.

But the two countries' relationship is far from equal, with Moscow heavily dependent economically on Beijing, the main buyer of sanctioned Russian oil.

Among topics Xi and Putin could discuss is construction of the major "Power of Siberia 2" natural gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia -- a land alternative to crude imported by sea from the Middle East -- which Moscow is keen to get underway.

Setting warm tones for the visit, the two leaders exchanged "congratulatory letters" on Sunday to mark 30 years of their countries' strategic partnership.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson GuoJiakun lauded on Tuesday "the enduring friendship between China and Russia".

China and the United States "should work together to promote the development and governance of AI", Chinese foreign ministry spokesman GuoJiakun said on Tuesday. Cooperation on artificial intelligence was discussed by US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping at talks in Beijing last week, both sides say, despite their countries' fierce rivalry over the fast-evolving technology.

"The two heads of state held constructive discussions on AI-related issues and agreed to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence," Guo told a news briefing, confirming previous remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.    �"AFP