On Tuesday, China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, met with Nikolai Patrushev, one of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies, in Moscow to affirm that Beijing's "no limits" partnership with Russia was

"rock solid" and would withstand any test in a changing international situation. This statement came after the United States expressed concern that Beijing might be considering supplying weapons to Russia, one year after the invasion of Ukraine. At the meeting, Wang told Patrushev that he looked forward to discussing security, and that China and Russia should work out new joint steps to ensure the security of both countries. Patrushev, who is close to Putin, told Wang that Beijing was a top priority for Russian foreign policy and that the two countries must stick together against the West.

The preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Moscow for a summit with Putin in the coming months are underway, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the plan. The timing of the visit has not been finalized, but it is likely to happen in April or early May when Russia celebrates its World War Two victory over Germany.

Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which triggered one of the deadliest European conflicts since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Xi has stood by Putin and resisted Western pressure to isolate Russia. Chinese-Russian trade has soared since the invasion, and Russia has sold Asian powers, including China, greater volumes of oil. Putin and Xi share a broad worldview that sees the West as decadent and in decline, just as China challenges U.S. supremacy in everything from technology to espionage and military power.

The United States considers China and Russia the two biggest nation-state threats to its security, with China viewed as the gravest long-term "strategic competitor" and Russia as an "acute threat." Patrushev confirmed his continued support for Beijing over the issues of Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. On Wednesday, Wang was scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as part of his visit to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out a meeting between Wang and Putin, saying, "there is lots to talk about." Photo by Dickelbers, Wikimedia commons.