Putin and Xi pledge ‘no limits’ to Russia-China ties, call for halt to NATO enlargement

President Xi Jinping of China on Friday offered firm support to President Vladimir Putin of Russia in the Kremlin’s face-off with the West over Ukraine.   

In a display of solidarity, the two leaders met in Beijing ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, the first meeting that Mr. Xi has held in person with a foreign counterpart in nearly two years.

“Friendship between the two States has no limits [and that] there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation,” says the lengthy statement, which puts in writing the deepening of diplomatic ties between the two major powers, amid military tensions at the Ukrainian border where Russia has amassed 100,000 troops.

The statement did not mention Ukraine by name (or the European Union) but makes clear references to the current crisis: “Russia and China stand against attempts by external forces to undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions, intend to counter interference by outside forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under any pretext, oppose colour revolutions, and will increase cooperation in the aforementioned areas,” the document reads.

The U.S. is mentioned several times and is criticized over the AUKUS alliance in the Indo-Pacific region. “The sides … remain highly vigilant about the negative impact of the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy on peace and stability in the region,” the statement reads.

Moscow also reiterated its opposition to “any forms of independence of Taiwan.” China considers the island to be part of its territory. Xi also said Chinese-Russian strategic cooperation was “unshakable, past, present and future.”

Putin’s presence in China makes him the highest-profile guest at the Beijing Games following the decision by the US, the UK and others not to send officials due to a human right’s protest.