Putin: Russia, China help build new world order
MOSCOW (AP) - Ahead of a visit by China's new president, Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Moscow-Beijing partnership is aiding global security and helping create a fairer world order.
Russia is Xi Jinping's first foreign destination as China's president. Xi's talks with Putin on Friday are set to focus on oil and gas as China seeks to secure new energy resources to fuel its growing economy.
Putin told the ITAR-Tass news agency that Xi's choice of Moscow for the trip underscored a "special character of strategic partnership" between the two former Cold War rivals.
He added that Russia and China have set an example of a "balanced and pragmatic approach" to international crises - an apparent reference to their lockstep opposition to U.N. sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.