Chinese President Xi Jinping flew into Moscow on Monday where he was expected to press Beijing`s role as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine war while Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped for support against Western pressure.
Xi will be the first national leader to shake Putin`s hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since his all-out invasion.
Moscow said the charge was one of several "clearly hostile displays" while Beijing said it reflected double standards.
Russia is presenting Xi`s trip, his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month, as evidence that it has a powerful friend in its standoff with a hostile West.
"We can feel the geopolitical landscape in the outside world undergoing drastic changes," Putin said in an article in China`s People`s Daily published on the Kremlin website, adding that he had high hopes for the visit from his "good old friend".
For Xi, the visit is a diplomatic tightrope.
China has released a 12-point proposal to solve the Ukraine crisis, but at the same time strengthened ties with Moscow.
China has repeatedly dismissed Western accusations that it is planning to arm Russia but says it wants a closer energy partnership after boosting imports of Russian coal, gas and oil.
Western sanctions mean cheaper prices that have saved Beijing billions of dollars.
Russian state television showed Xi arriving at Moscow`s Vnukovo airport on Monday afternoon. He was due to hold "informal" talks with Putin, followed by dinner.
Formal talks are scheduled for Tuesday.
Xi wrote in an article published in Russia that the two countries adhered to the concept of "eternal friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation" and that China`s Ukraine peace proposal, released last month, reflects global views.
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