China's Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow hailing historic ties and true friendship
President
Xi Jinping has arrived in Moscow for a high-profile
state visit underscoring efforts to strengthen ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin amid growing trade pressures from the US and scepticism from European allies.
Advertisement
Upon landing at Moscow's Vnukovo-2 airport on Wednesday afternoon local time, Xi expressed confidence that the trip would deepen bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
'I will meet with President Putin to have an in-depth exchange of views over bilateral relations, practical cooperation as well as major international and regional issues of mutual interest,' Xi said in a written statement.
'[This] will inject strong impetus into the growth of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.'
He also hailed the friendship between China and Russia, calling the two countries 'good neighbours that cannot be moved away, true friends who share weal and woe, and good partners that enable each other's success'.
Advertisement
Hours before Xi touched down, local authorities said a number of Ukrainian drones were brought down near the capital, and airports across Moscow were forced to temporarily shut down.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
34 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
How China's aerospace rise is reshaping global skies
Date and time: Thursday, June 26, 2025 | 10.30-11.30am HKT Add to calendar: iOS | Android | Outlook The webinar will be live-streamed on this page on June 26, 2025, at 10.30am HKT. Bookmark this page or add it to your calendar to stay informed. You may also submit your questions to the panel and get them answered during the webinar. China's aerospace ambitions are taking flight, with the homegrown C919 narrow-body jet expanding commercial operations and plans for the wide-body C929 aircraft under way. This ascent, spearheaded by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), seeds a potential shift in a global aviation market long dominated by Boeing and Airbus. The implications speak to China's overall industrial development strategies, its quest for technological self-sufficiency and international trade dynamics. However, this rapid ascent also brings to the forefront complex challenges about China's ability to rival established players. How can Comac scale aircraft production when global supply chains are in flux, for example? How does it plan to attain Western certification and navigate fast-changing geopolitical currents? To address these critical issues, SCMP will host a webinar with external guest speaker Jason Li Hanming, a US-based aviation analyst, and SCMP reporters Frank Chen and Ralph Jennings. Submit your questions today and get them answered during the webinar. They will explore key areas including:
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Musk's father says billionaire Elon made mistake, bets ‘Trump will prevail'
The row between Elon Musk, the world's richest man, and US President Donald Trump was triggered by stress on both sides and Elon made a mistake by publicly challenging Trump, Musk's father told Russian media in Moscow. Musk and Trump began exchanging insults last week on social media with Musk denouncing the president's sweeping tax and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. 'You know they have been under a lot of stress for five months – you know – give them a break,' Errol Musk told the Izvestia newspaper during a visit to the Russian capital. 'They are very tired and stressed, so you can expect something like this.' 'Trump will prevail – he's the president, he was elected as the president. So, you know, Elon made a mistake, I think. But he is tired, he is stressed.' Errol Musk. File photo: Reuters Errol Musk also suggested that the row 'was just a small thing' and would 'be over tomorrow'.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Democracies sometimes use foreign meddling as an ‘alibi': think tank
Foreign interference in elections is a real concern but sometimes used as an 'alibi' by democracies to divert attention from domestic issues, the head of a democracy think-tank said Monday. According to a new report by Stockholm-based International IDEA, disinformation and manipulation of social media algorithms to influence results were among the major threats to democracies during election campaigns. The threat is 'exacerbated by the explicit willingness of domestic, foreign and non-state actors to engage in such activities', the report said, highlighting states such as China, Russia and Iran. Among 54 elections covered in 2024, 80 per cent experienced 'deliberate campaigns of disinformation trying to shape the electoral result', IDEA's Secretary General Kevin Casas-Zamora said. However, when politicians blame foreign influence, it risked diverting the debate from real issues, and whether such campaigns 'succeeded or not is anybody's guess', he added. 'The question of inequality, the question of how a lot of citizens feel left behind and that they're not being heard by their political institutions, deserves probably at least as much attention as the external threats that come in the shape of foreign interference or disinformation,' Casas-Zamora said.
