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Putin arrives in China's 'Little Moscow' on second day of state visit - BBC News Putin arrives in China's 'Little Moscow' on second day of state visit - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
While Putin is seeking to reinforce Moscow's alliance with Beijing this week, Russian troops have been advancing in their assault on north-eastern Ukraine.
Before Putin arrived in Harbin today, Xi hosted him at Zhongnanhai, a compound where China's leaders work and reside. It's the rough equivalent of the White House in Washington. On 10 May, Russian forces penetrated the border area north of Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv. They have since taken a number of villages not far from the frontier, and are trying to push forward as Ukraine’s outgunned forces try to shore up a weakened front line.
The two leaders took a stroll, sipped tea, and had "in-depth exchanges on strategic issues of common concern", reported China's state news agency Xinhua. Russia’s force in Ukraine now numbers more than half a million, leaving Ukraine’s military outmanned as well as outgunned.
Beyond the issues discussed, the fact that Xi hosted Putin at Zhongnanhai is symbolic. Once a playground of Chinese emperors and their concubines, Zhongnanhai is today home to the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and the residences of its top leaders. Even as Putin pursues gains on the ground, there have been signs that the Kremlin could be prepared to return to peace talks abandoned two years ago.
Analysts have told the BBC that leaders would typically host only their closer allies in the compound. In an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua earlier this week, Putin said Moscow is "open to a dialogue on Ukraine".
In 2014, Xi met former US President Barack Obama in Zhongnanhai. A year later, he met with King Philippe of Belgium there. He has not invited many foreign leaders to the compound in recent years. "But such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours," he said.
Xi and Putin met yesterday in front of the Yingtai Bridge, which was built during the Ming dynasty. During the Qing dynasty which was established after that, emperors met guests, discussed documents and proposals from officials at Yingtai, making it a significant policy-making spot outside the Forbidden City. You can read more about the war in Ukraine here.
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