Putin focuses on trade and cultural exchanges in Harbin, China, after reaffirming ties with Xi
Russian President Vladimir Putin is focusing on trade and cultural exchanges on his state visit to China that started with bonhomie in Beijing and a summit with China’s leader Xi Jinping that deepened their “no-limits” partnership as both countries face rising tensions with the West
BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on trade and cultural exchanges Friday on his state visit to China that started with bonhomie in Beijing and a summit with China's leader Xi Jinping that deepened their “no-limits” partnership as both countries face rising tensions with the West.
Putin will attend the China-Russia Expo in the northeastern city of Harbin and meet with students at Harbin Institute of Technology. Harbin, capital of China’s Heilongjiang province, was once home to many Russian expatriates and retains some of these historical ties in the city’s architecture, such as the central Saint Sophia Cathedral, a former Russian Orthodox church.
Though Putin's visit is more symbolic and short on concrete proposals, the two countries, which both face rising tensions with the West, nonetheless are sending a clear message.
“At this moment, they’re reminding the West that they can be defiant when they want to,” said Joseph Torigian, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institute.
