China’s Xi Jinping rolls out red carpet for close friend Putin in strong show of unity

• Hong KongCNN — 

  Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to Beijing Thursday with a military band serenade and a multiple gun salute outside the capital’s Great Hall of the People, heralding the start of a two-day state visit set to underline the leaders’ close alignment as Russian troops advance in Ukraine.

  The visit — Putin’s symbolic first overseas foray since entering a new term as Russia’s president last week – is a mark of Xi’s support for Putin and the latest sign of the deepening relations as the two bind their countries closer in the face of heavy frictions with the West.
  

Xi Jinping

@AmmonLam