Putin expects China's Xi to visit in spring, wants to boost military cooperation - Reuters

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said connected Friday helium was expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to marque a authorities sojourn aboriginal adjacent year, successful what would beryllium a nationalist amusement of solidarity from Beijing amid Russia's flailing penetration of Ukraine.

In effusive introductory remarks from a video league betwixt the 2 leaders broadcast connected authorities television, Putin besides said helium aimed to fortify subject practice with China.

Putin's statement, which lasted astir 8 minutes, highlighted Russia's melodramatic pivot distant from the Western powers that person ostracised it economically and politically for its actions successful Ukraine, and fixed Ukraine weapons, towards courting the rising planetary powerfulness of long-time rival China.

"We are expecting you, beloved Mr Chairman, beloved friend, we are expecting you adjacent outpouring connected a authorities sojourn to Moscow," Putin told Xi. "This volition show to the full satellite the spot of Russian-Chinese ties connected cardinal issues."

Putin's remarks contrasted with a acold shorter connection from Xi, who made nary notation of a sojourn to Moscow, according to the authoritative translation into Russian.

The 2 men had signed a "no limits" strategical concern successful February, informed by shared distrust of the West, a fewer days earlier Russia sent its equipped forces into Ukraine successful what it presumption a "special subject operation".

Putin told Xi connected Friday: "You and I stock the aforesaid views connected the causes, people and logic of the ongoing translation of the planetary geopolitical landscape, successful the look of unprecedented unit and provocations from the West."

Since European countries chopped links with Russia implicit the invasion, Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia arsenic China's apical crude supplier.

On Friday Russia's Finance Ministry doubled the maximum imaginable stock of Chinese yuan successful its National Wealth Fund (NWF) to 60% arsenic Moscow tries to extremity dependency connected "unfriendly" nations including the United States, European Union members, Britain and Japan.

Moscow has besides publically backed Xi's presumption connected Taiwan and accused the West of trying to provoke a struggle implicit the presumption of the self-governing island, which China claims arsenic its own.

However, Xi has astatine times appeared chill connected Russia's penetration of Ukraine. China has refrained from condemnation, alternatively stressing the request for peace, but Putin successful September publically acknowledged that his Chinese counterpart had "concerns" implicit Russia's actions.

Beijing has truthful acold been cautious not to supply the benignant of nonstop worldly enactment for the penetration that could provoke Western sanctions against China.

Although Xi called Putin his "dear friend", his introductory statement, astatine astir a 4th the magnitude of Putin's, was acold much restrained successful tone.

He did, however, accidental China was acceptable to summation strategical practice with Russia against the backdrop of what helium called a "difficult" concern successful the satellite astatine large.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said nary day had yet been acceptable for Xi's visit.

Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Andrew Heavens

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