Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited Russia as a state guest, made comments to the effect of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s retention of power.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, President Xi met with President Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on the first day of his visit and said, “Russia will hold presidential elections next year,” he said.
At the same time, “I firmly believe that the Russian people will continue to provide strong support.”
Xi’s comments are seen as public support for President Putin, as they were released through the Chinese Foreign Ministry website and Chinese state media.
Since becoming president in 2013, President Xi has visited Russia nine times, and the number of official and unofficial meetings between the two countries or in third countries has reached 40 times.
Russia was the first foreign country Xi visited after he was first elected president in 2013, and the first country he visited after confirming his third consecutive term as president on the 10th.
