Chinese president says countries can ‘instil stability and positive energy in a world of chaos’
Vladimir Putin has thanked Xi Jinping for China’s “balanced” stance on the Ukraine invasion, accused the US of “provocation” in the Taiwan strait, and reiterated support for the “one China” policy which denies Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Xi called Putin an “old friend” and said that China was “willing to work with Russia to demonstrate the responsibility of big powers” and to “instil stability and positive energy in a world of chaos”.
Xi and Putin were meeting in Thursday, for the first time since the Ukraine invasion began. The sit down at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, is Xi’s first international trip since the pandemic began.