Defying West, Russia's Putin set to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Putin's trip on Tuesday, saying Xi and Putin would exchange views on ties and "international and regional issues of common concern". "In Beijing, they truly understand its root causes and its global geopolitical meaning," Putin said, according to a Russian language transcript published on a Kremlin website. Putin will also discuss economic ties with China's premier Li Qiang and visit Harbin, a northeast city with historic Russian connections. SUPPORT FOR ISOLATED MOSCOWOther analysts said just the Xi and Putin meeting itself carried weight. China's Russian gas imports last year soared nearly 40% from 2022 at 33.7 billion cubic metres, according to Reuters calculations of customs figures and data from consultancy RBAC.