President Xi Jinping’s

Russian President Vladimir Putin met his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing during his two-day state visit to China. This is the Russian leader's first foreign trip since his re-election in March and the second visit to China in just over six months. Indicating China's strategic significance for Russia amid Western sanctions it is facing over its offensive in Ukraine.

China’s defence spending has grown by more than seven per cent for the third consecutive year, despite its slowing economy and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.