The leaders of Russia and China hold a video conference to show the rapprochement between the two powers following the Kremlin's break with the West.
Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
The conversation between the two leaders took place less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the new president of the United States.
The two leaders have spoken on several occasions in recent months and last met in person in October during the Kazan meeting at the BRICS summit. Chinese state media have not yet released any further details of the conversation, which also takes place three days after Xi and Trump spoke by phone for the first time in four years.
"As the world's most important countries, the United States and China should get along for years and beyond and work together for world peace," the then president-elect said after the call, while the Chinese leader expressed his willingness to "promote greater progress in bilateral ties from a new starting point."
In recent years, China and Russia have reaffirmed their "boundless friendship" with constant exchanges that include several face-to-face meetings since the start of the war in Ukraine, on which Beijing has maintained an ambiguous stance.
The Asian giant has thus called for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, but also for the "legitimate security concerns" of Russia, a country with which Xi considers it crucial to cooperate in order to promote a "more just international order."
The relationship between the two countries has been strengthened on multiple fronts, from energy cooperation to coordination in multilateral organizations. In his recent New Year's exchange with Putin, the Chinese leader stressed the "stability and maturity" of ties between Beijing and Moscow despite international pressure.
