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China's President Xi Jinping arrives in Abu Dhabi for a 'new phase of co-operation'

Mr xi was welcomed by sheikh mohammed bin rashid and sheikh mohammed bin zayed.

Xi Jinping, President of China, and his wife Peng Liyuan are presented with flowers on his arrival at the Presidential Airport. Seen with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Saif Al Muhairi / Government of Dubai Media Office

China's President Xi Jinping received a royal welcome as he arrived in Abu Dhabi to begin an historic three-day state visit.

Mr Xi was met at the Presidential Airport by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

The delegation were due to attend a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace later.

The Chinese national anthem was played at the airport and 21 artillery rounds were fired as part of the greeting, the state new agency Wam reported.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said the visit will help usher in a "new phase of co-operation" between the two nations.

The UAE dispatched fighter jets to escort Mr Xi’s plane as soon as it entered the country’s airspace, Chinese state television station CGTN reported.

Chinese President #XiJinping arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday at the start of a state visit to the Gulf nation. The UAE dispatched fighter jets to escort the Xi’s plane as soon as it entered the country’s airspace. #BRICS2018 pic.twitter.com/oU20Ac6MHx — CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) July 19, 2018

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed tweeted: "We are delighted with the Chinese President's visit to the UAE. By all standards, the visit is historic and promises a new phase in the co-operation between the two countries which encompasses all areas. The visit will be rewarding as it will bring prosperity and development to citizens of both countries."

سعداء بزيارة الصديق العزيز فخامة شي جين بينغ الرئيس الصيني الى الامارات .. زيارة تاريخية بكل المقاييس وتوثق لمرحلة جديدة من مسارات التعاون بين البلدين في كافة المجالات بما يعود على شعبي البلدين نماء وتطورا وإزدهارا. pic.twitter.com/2n8y9McCJE — محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) July 19, 2018

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said that the UAE accounts for about a quarter of Arab Trade with China, a figure of close to Dh200 billion last year, while the UAE recorded more than one million Chinese visitors in 2017.

He said he looks forward to doubling both figures in the future.

تستحوذ الإمارات على حوالي ربع التجارة العربية مع الصين بما يقارب ال200 مليار درهم في 2017 ، وزارنا أكثر من مليون صيني في 2017 ،  ولدينا شراكات في قطاعات النفط والطاقة المتجددة والبنية التحتية والتكنولوجيا ... نسعى لمضاعفة هذه الأرقام الفترة القادمة pic.twitter.com/N01bN6ve0x — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) July 19, 2018

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said that there is a "mutual understanding" between the UAE and China on a number of regional and international issues.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid tweeted: "The UAE is the first region in the Gulf to build strategic relations with China. There exists a mutual understanding between the UAE and China on a number of regional and international affairs and we strive to consolidate cultural, public and humanitarian relations in addition to the existing strong political and economics relations."

الإمارات هي أول دولة خليجية أقامت علاقات استراتيجية مع الصين ، وهناك توافق بيننا وبين الصين في الكثير من الملفات الإقليمية والعالمية، ونسعى لترسيخ علاقات ثقافية وشعبية وإنسانية بجانب علاقاتنا الاقتصادية والسياسية القوية pic.twitter.com/R8hbxSsIbJ — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) July 19, 2018

Mr Xi’s visit is his first trip abroad since being re-elected in March and comes as both nations draw on their strengthening ties across commerce, culture, tourism and politics.

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The visit coincides with a celebration of Chinese culture during UAE-China Week.

A key UAE-China Economic Forum is also expected to take place on Friday.

The UAE had already been in celebratory mood ahead of Mr Xi's arrival, with iconic buildings such as the Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab in Dubai and  Adnoc’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi lit up in China's colours.

Rolling coverage of the highly anticipated visit is being beamed to millions of people both in China and throughout the Middle East.

Writing in  The National on Wednesday , Mr Xi reflected that the friendship between both countries  had developed over thousands of years and had now progressed to a crucial, strategic partnership.

“Our two countries are geographically far apart and different in national conditions," he said. "But we are both proud to have enterprising and creative people who never give up on their dreams."

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Xi's visit to UAE highlights China's rising interest in Middle East

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Xi Jinping ends state visit to UAE with raft of deals signed

DUBAI (AFP) - The United Arab Emirates on Saturday (July 21) said it agreed to set up a "comprehensive strategic partnership" with China as President Xi Jinping wrapped up a three-day visit to the Gulf country.

"The UAE and China have agreed to enhance cooperation in all fields to higher levels and forge overall strategic partnerships," the official WAM news agency said.

It said this would "contribute to cementing and intensifying cooperation, boost joint development and prosperity, which is consistent with the common interest of both countries and their peoples".

China and the UAE had already signed on Friday a raft of economic agreements and in the run-up to Xi's visit they agreed oil and trade deals.

Xi met UAE Vice-President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also ruler of Dubai, and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan during his visit.

Abu Dhabi was the Chinese president's first stop on a tour which now takes him to Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa.

A joint statement by China and the UAE, published Saturday by WAM, said the two countries were committed to bolster cooperation across the board, including politics, economy, oil, gas and security.

There would also be joint military training, the two countries agreed.

The United Arab Emirates was "keen to deepen cooperation" which China's "One Belt, One Road" infrastructure plan, the statement added.

The ambitious trillion-dollar project, also known as Belt and Road, aims to revive the ancient Silk Road trading routes with a global networks of ports, roads and railways.

On Thursday, the UAE's state-owned DP World announced an agreement between the two countries to build a new trade zone in Dubai as part of that project.

A strategic cooperation framework between state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) and China National Petroleum Company was among the deals signed on Friday, the UAE company said.

On Thursday ADNOC announced it had awarded two contracts worth US$1.6 billion (1.4 billion euros) to BGP Inc, a subsidiary of CNPC, for a seismic survey in the emirate.

The survey will search for oil and gas in onshore and offshore sites covering an area of 53,000 sq km.

China is the United Arab Emirates' top trading partner and the UAE is also one of the top 15 crude suppliers to China.

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Xi's trip cemented China-UAE relations

Editor's Note: China Daily is publishing a series of stories reviewing President Xi Jinping's visits at home and abroad in the past decade, to showcase his vision for development in China and the world.

Shaojin Chai recalled the buzz surrounding preparations for a series of welcoming events in the United Arab Emirates just before President Xi Jinping's visit to the country in 2018.

Chai, an assistant professor in the department of international relations at the University of Sharjah in the UAE, had been asked by some Emirati cultural and news institutions to take part in their events, including a cultural event to be attended by Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan.

"Everybody was excited," Chai said. "It was the first time since (1989) that (a Chinese) head of state had visited the UAE," he said, referring to the December 1989 visit by then president Yang Shangkun. The visit was reciprocated in 1990 when the UAE's late founding father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, visited China, six years after diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in November 1984.

Relations between China and the UAE have been greatly promoted since Xi's visit, analysts say.

To have the leader of a great power visit the UAE "is significant for the UAE, both strategically and symbolically", Chai said.

Du Wei, the Chinese director at the Confucius Institute at Zayed University, said Xi's visit boosted collaboration in education between China and the UAE, especially since the UAE government was set to launch a Chinese-language program in 100 public schools.

Xi's visit "promoted, facilitated and also made" the launch of the Chinese-language program official, Du said.

"Traditionally, people here think that the Chinese language is difficult to learn," said Du, who expressed regret over missing Xi's visit because she was accompanying Emirati students on a 20-day study visit to China at the time.

"Since (Xi's) visit, people feel there's a need to study the language. They are more interested in understanding China."

Du said she was among the team of specialists who produced an initial study on introducing Chinese-language programs in collaboration with the UAE's Ministry of Education. She selected and interviewed 20 teachers to start the program, she said. It developed quickly and is now available in 141 public schools.

During Xi's visit, China and the UAE signed several deals, covering energy, finance, agriculture and e-commerce, including approval of the first Chinese State-owned financial services company being set up in Abu Dhabi.

Joint opportunities

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and the China National Petroleum Corp also agreed to explore joint business opportunities at that time.

Today, with both countries also dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE embassy in Beijing said the annual value of bilateral trade between China and the UAE has reached $50 billion and is on track to increase to $200 billion by 2030.

"In fact, let's say that what we saw afterward proved that the visit was a base line for trust and cooperation that came after, and was very important for this partnership, especially on science," said Rasha Al Joundy, a Gulf expert and senior researcher at the Dubai Public Policy Research Centre.

"China and the UAE have cooperated intensely to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the UAE has hosted the clinical trials for Sinopharm, and it has manufactured Sinopharm (vaccines). … The UAE had the highest rate of vaccination because of that."

In December 2020, the UAE was the first country to approve emergency public use of Sinopharm-developed COVID-19 vaccines. In March last year, the UAE announced that it would start making those vaccines locally as part of a joint venture between the Chinese pharmaceutical company and an Abu Dhabi enterprise.

The collaboration between China and the UAE facilitated a vaccination program for low-income countries, especially in Africa, proving that bilateral relations were not affected during the pandemic and that trade in other sectors also continued, Al Joundy said.

"There were no shortages of any product coming to the UAE from China whatsoever during the pandemic," she said, adding that the increased mutual trust generated during Xi's visit became crucial, given the issue of food security today.

Ebrahim Hashem, former adviser to the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, an authority responsible for Abu Dhabi's long-term strategies, and Asia Global fellow at the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, said Xi's "critically important" visit in 2018 helped upgrade the relationship between the UAE and China from "strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership".

Awareness of China and its civilization and culture has greatly improved since Xi's visit, Hashem said. Before the visit, everybody "was talking about the West and I was talking about China", he said.

"But after that visit a major paradigm shift happened in the minds of a lot of Emiratis. In my opinion, there are almost no limits on the potential of this relationship," Hashem said.

"The oil (sector's contribution to) GDP is less than 30 percent. The non-oil (contribution to GDP) is above 70 percent, but we have our long-term vision, and we see major synergies between our long-term vision and the Belt and Road Initiative," he added.

Larger contribution

In April, the UAE's Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center said the country's non-oil sector contribution to GDP amounted to 72.3 percent last year, up from 71.3 percent in 2020.

Hotels and restaurants contributed 21.3 percent, wholesale and retail 14.1 percent and health and social services sector 13.8 percent, it said.

"We want to have a larger contribution from the manufacturing sector to our GDP," Hashem said. "We're interested in technology. There's huge collaboration now between us and China in the area of technology (and) in the digital economy.

"Renewables is another area, (as are) digital technology, digital economy and, of course, security. There is a deeper discussion when it comes to security, but it's one area that may actually take some time to develop and evolve."

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Xi's visit to UAE highlights China's rising interest in Middle East

By Stanley Carvalho ABU DHABI (Reuters) - China and the United Arab Emirates signed a raft of financial, business and trade agreements on Friday during a visit by President Xi Jinping to the UAE, underscoring energy-hungry Beijing’s rapidly growing interest in the Middle East. Xi made the first visit by a Chinese leader to the Gulf state in 29 years, meeting two of its most powerful leaders, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

By Stanley Carvalho

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - China and the United Arab Emirates signed a raft of financial, business and trade agreements on Friday during a visit by President Xi Jinping to the UAE, underscoring energy-hungry Beijing’s rapidly growing interest in the Middle East.

Xi made the first visit by a Chinese leader to the Gulf state in 29 years, meeting two of its most powerful leaders, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

They announced 13 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including approval for the first Chinese state-owned financial services firm to set up in Abu Dhabi Global Market, a financial centre, while the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the China National Petroleum Corporation agreed to explore joint business opportunities.

As both a major energy exporter and a hub for international trade, the UAE is an important part of Xi’s “Belt and Road” initiative to invest in infrastructure linking China by both sea and land to markets in Asia and Europe.

“We have many areas of political and economic agreement and a solid base of projects in the energy, technology and infrastructure sectors. More importantly (we have) a strong political will to start a greater phase of cooperation and integration,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid wrote in a Twitter post in Arabic on Friday.

“Today, we have exemplary relations with China and a Chinese leadership that sees the UAE as main strategic partner in the region,” he added.

China is the UAE’s second largest trading partner and biggest source of imports. The UAE is the gateway for about 60 percent of China’s exports to the Middle East, and on its own accounts for around a quarter of total Arab trade with China.

UAE economy minister Sultan bin Saeed al-Mansouri said that total bilateral trade between his country and China is expected to reach $58 billion in 2018, up from $53.5 billion in 2017.

In 2013, Xi outlined the Belt and Road initiative which involves billions of dollars of infrastructure investment to reinvigorate the ancient overland silk road trade route and develop a new sea equivalent. The UAE sits close to both routes.

China’s commerce minister Zhong Shan said that his country was ready to cooperate with the UAE to promote globalisation.

“This future of cooperation is broad as both UAE and China are advocates of the economies and multilateralism. On this we have mutual interest and a joint position,” he said.

China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplomacy despite its reliance on the region for oil, but has stepped up its involvement since Xi came to power six years ago. Beijing has had to tread carefully, though, with Gulf Arab states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as China also has close ties with their rival Iran.

($1 = 3.6728 UAE dirham)

(Additional reporting by Marwa Rashad and Ghaida Ghantous; Writing by Marwa Rashad; Editing by Peter Graff and Susan Fenton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

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President Xi's visit to UAE will boost political and economic ties

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The visit will create additional commercial links between the countries.

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Published: Mon 16 Jul 2018, 1:03 PM

Last updated: Mon 16 Jul 2018, 7:25 PM

The President of the Chinese Business Council in the UAE has said that the upcoming visit of President Xi Jinping of China to the UAE will help boost the political and economic ties between the two countries and will also create additional commercial links, to achieve the mutual goals of the business communities of both countries.   In an interview with Emirates News Agency, WAM, Huang Jang Zhang, said that the economic and investment ties between the two countries reflect their keenness to promote investments and development projects. He described the UAE as the gateway to the markets of the Middle East.  VP, Sheikh Mohamed welcome China president's upcoming UAE visit He added that despite the plunge in oil prices and the slowdown of the global economy, it is necessary, as was learnt from previous experiences, to work hard to benefit from current economic conditions and deal with future developments, and both sides should exert their utmost efforts to restructure their economies through reform and innovation. Regarding the role of the Chinese Business Council in developing the economic and commercial ties between the UAE and China, Zhang noted that the council is working to reinforce the mutual coordination and cooperation between Chinese institutions and companies in the UAE, as well as to protect the legal rights and interests of its members, promote communication between local governments and the business community, and advance China's economic and commercial cooperation with the UAE. The council also provides its members with various services related to working and coordinating with Chinese companies, to help them operate legal businesses and solve key commercial problems through negotiations. Zhang pointed out that around 4,200 Chinese companies were operating in the UAE at the end of 2017, and noted that the total value of Foreign Direct Investments, FDIs, from China in the UAE reached US$9.1 billion that year, which include oil, gas, infrastructure, finance, construction, telecommunications, trade and other sectors. The previous year saw FDIs from China to the UAE worth $610 million, he explained. UAE, China set to boost ties during Xi's visit Zhang affirmed that the UAE's investment environment is attractive to Chinese investors while highlighting a surge in Chinese investments in development projects in the UAE. "The coming period will witness the establishment of new partnerships between Emirati and Chinese companies in many key sectors, such as industry, manufacturing, finance, culture, education, energy and agriculture," ZHANG stated. He explained that Chinese tourists represent 1.7 per cent of the total number of tourists visiting the UAE, a rise of four per cent compared to 2016, with further growth is expected in the coming years. Zhang revealed that the UAE is the first country from the Middle East taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative, and received a mutual visa exemption for ordinary passports in 2017 while the number of Chinese tourists visiting the UAE exceeded 1.1 million that year, an increase of 50 per cent. He added that the number of Chinese tourists who visited Abu Dhabi in 2017 reached around 374,000, an annual growth rate of 61 per cent, making China the largest source of tourists visiting Abu Dhabi this year. In 2017, China became the fifth leading source of foreign tourists visiting Dubai, whose numbers exceeded 764,000 visitors, a growth of 41 per cent. Around 2.5 million Chinese tourists are expected to visit Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, countries by 2021.  Regarding the importance of the new Silk Road Project in promoting cooperation between the two countries, Zhang said that they share similar development strategies, as the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which was proposed by President Xi, is in line with the concept of reviving the silk road, as was suggested by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.  Zhang added that the success of the initiative is in the interests of the UAE and China, as it will bring investments and create trade opportunities for both countries while highlighting the fact that their mutual development is remarkable. The UAE is a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and major projects will be implemented in the areas of cooperation, oil and gas, he further added.  The UAE-China Joint Investment Fund is supporting the construction of the UAE's airports, ports, roads and telecommunications infrastructure. The Renminbi clearing bank has also opened an office in the UAE. Zhang further pointed out that Chinese companies are active in exploring new investment opportunities with their local partners in the UAE, and are focusing on projects in areas such as industrial parks, wholesale, oil and gas.  Zhang further noted that the largest Chinese companies operating in the UAE include China National Petroleum Corporation, CNPC, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, CSCEC, China Ocean Shipping Company, COSCO, Huawei and Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Cooperation and Investment Company, JOCIC, while adding that these companies have invested billions of dollars in the UAE, in sectors that include oil and gas, construction, ports, technology and industrial zones.  Zhang stated that the value of bilateral trade between the two countries reached $53.3 billion in 2017, and the UAE is the second leading trading partner of China and its largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa.  Zhang stressed that Chinese companies will participate in the EXPO 2020 Dubai under the slogan, "Building a community along with a joint future for humanity: Innovation and Opportunities," while explaining that the Chinese pavilion will aim to showcase China's overall development achievements, as well as its efforts to promote scientific and technological innovation, explore new opportunities, and create a global village for humanity, and its role in advancing human civilisation.  "As one of the key partners of China in the Middle East, the UAE serves as a key junction for the Belt and Road Initiative, he affirmed. Chinese participation will promote bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, culture and tourism during the six-month expo," he concluded.

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China’s Xi visits Saudi Arabia to cement Gulf Arab ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, greets by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh, after his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, 1st right, greets by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh, after his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh, after his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend meetings with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations crucial to his country’s energy supplies as Beijing tries to revive an economy battered by its strict coronavirus measures.

Saudi and Chinese flags flew Wednesday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, as Xi arrived on an Air China Boeing 747, accompanied by jets spraying green-and-white smoke in the sky after the colors of the Saudi flag. Another set of jets sprayed red and yellow, the colors of the Chinese flag, according to footage released by Saudi state television.

Xi waved from the top of the stairs alongside his plane then later descended to greet Saudi officials at the airport, shaking hands with the governor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal bin Bandar.

Gulf Arab states are trying to recalibrate their foreign policy as the United States turns its attention elsewhere in the world.

Russia’s war on Ukraine — and the West’s hardening stance on Moscow — has also left the Arab countries wanting to cement ties with China.

During the visit, Xi is expect to attend the inaugural China-Arab States Summit and a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes the kingdom along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Though few other details about the visit have emerged, Chinese authorities offered superlatives ahead of the trip.

It’s the “largest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People’s Republic of China and will become an epoch-making milestone in the history of China-Arab relations,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a daily briefing on Wednesday.

Whether the meeting reaches those heights, Xi knows he needs that supply of crude oil. China, the world’s largest crude oil importer, relies heavily on Saudi oil, paying tens of billions of dollars annually to the kingdom.

Xi plans to meet both 86-year-old Saudi King Salman, as well as his 37-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. For Prince Mohammed, hosting Xi boosts his own international profile after being linked to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi .

Beyond China’s oil purchases, its construction expertise could be tapped as well for Prince Mohammed’s planned $500 billion futuristic city of Neom on the Red Sea. Chinese construction firms have worked elsewhere in Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, particularly in Dubai in the UAE.

Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, also has provided political cover to China over its harsh policies toward Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities . More than a million have been sent to detention centers, forced to denounce Islam and swear fealty to Xi and the party.

The trip to Saudi Arabia marks a further move by Xi to restore his global profile after spending most of the pandemic inside China. The visit is his third overseas trip since early 2020. It also comes as Xi, who was granted a third five-year term as leader in October, has faced street protests over his zero-COVID-19 policies that represent the most-significant challenge to his rule .

The political risk consultancy Eurasia Group said in a report that with no major differences between China and Saudi Arabia on human rights, the tone of Xi’s visit is “likely to be much more positive” than the visit earlier this year to the kingdom by U.S. President Joe Biden,

“Nevertheless, the relationship still has a long way to go if it is to become as deep and nuanced as Saudi-U.S. ties,” the report said.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Russia’s Putin meets Xi on state visit to China to show unity between allies

B EIJING — China’s leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday as he began a two-day state visit while Moscow presses forward with a new offensive in Ukraine.

They shook hands at a welcome ceremony after Putin’s arrival in Beijing at dawn. Putin, Xi and other top officials are expected to hold meetings later that will emphasize their commitment to the “no limits” relationship they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system.

On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine. “We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,” Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The Russian leader’s two-day trip comes as his country’s forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

Along with Moscow’s efforts to build on its gains in the nearby Donetsk region, the 2-year-old war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine’s depleted military that is awaiting new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States.

“We have never refused to negotiate,” Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said any negotiations must include a restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but has backed Moscow’s contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, despite Putin’s public avowals of his desire to restore Russia’s century-old borders as the reason for his assault.

Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war and praised China’s peace plan for Ukraine that would allow Moscow to cement its territorial gains.

“Beijing proposes practicable and constructive steps to achieve peace by refraining from pursuing vested interests and constant escalation of tensions, minimizing the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy,” he had said.

Putin said a Chinese proposal in 2023, which Ukraine and the West rejected, could “lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russia’s security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.”

The Kremlin said in a statement that during their talks this week, Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will “have a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China and also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues.”

Putin began a fifth term in office this month.

Speaking Tuesday in the upper house of Russian parliament, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing are “objectively interested in maintaining our lead in efforts to establish a more fair and democratic world order.”

“Russia and China aren’t alone in their efforts to reform an international system and help establish a multipolar global order,” he said.

Lavrov noted that the “duet of Moscow and Beijing plays a major balancing role in global affairs,” adding that “the Russian president’s forthcoming visit to (China) will strengthen our joint work.”

Moscow has forged increasingly close ties with Beijing as the war has dragged into a third year, diverting the bulk of its energy exports to China and relying on Chinese companies for importing high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.

The Russia-China military ties have also strengthened. They have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian and Chinese ground forces also have deployed to the other country’s territory for joint drills.

China remains a major market for Russian military, while also massively expanding its domestic defensive industries, including building aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.

Putin has previously said that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability. In October 2019, he mentioned that Russia was helping China to develop an early warning system to spot ballistic missile launches — a system involving ground-based radar and satellites that only Russia and the U.S. possessed.

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Chinese business community in the UAE welcomes President Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia

• Environment

Industry leaders expect cooperation in the energy and technology sector to enhance further

Chinese expatriates in the UAE see their President Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia as a strong boost to relations between China and the Gulf region.

Zhengang Tang, president of UAE China Culture and Education Association, and owner of one of the biggest Chinese travel agencies in the UAE, feels the visit indicates China’s positive response to the world.

"This visit will enhance collaboration between China and the Gulf region guided by the One Belt, One Road initiative. Collaboration in the field of energy and finance especially, will see new breakthroughs. This visit leads as a positive example for countries who are willing to establish peaceful and friendly relationships with neighbouring countries, which brings diverse communication and trade, and enables the people to benefit from the diversity. The Chinese business community in the UAE deeply feels the inclusiveness and positivity the Emirates extends towards it."

Xi Jinping visits Saudi Arabia

• Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia
• Video: Saudi lays on lavish welcome as China’s Xi heralds ‘new era’ in relations
• Saudi Arabia and China sign strategic deals as Chinese President Xi Jinping heralds 'new era' in ties
• China-Gulf summit underscores importance of reinforcing bilateral partnerships

The Chinese business community in the UAE deeply feels the inclusiveness and positivity the Emirates extends towards it. - Zhengang Tang, president of UAE China Culture and Education Association, and owner of one of the biggest Chinese travel agencies in the UAE

The 60-year-old industry veteran is of the opinion that the visit "illustrates China’s focus on steady development and further building the future".

Fuqiang Cheng, president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and Association, and businessman in the hotel industry feels that the visit is extremely crucial.

"It has attracted broad attention in the Chinese business community in the UAE. It is a visit that has brought fruitful results. It sets another milestone in establishing a meaningful relationship between China and Saudi Arabia," said the 50-year-old UAE expat.

It is a visit that has brought fruitful results. It sets another milestone in establishing a meaningful relationship between China and Saudi Arabia. - Fuqiang Cheng, president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and Association, and businessman in the hotel industry

Tongtong Zhou, Oriental Wise Education Group CEO and Vice President of UAE China Culture and Education Association, echoed this sentiment.

"Since the establishment of foreign relationship between China and the Saudi Arabia, the past 26 years has witnessed steady growth of the relationship between the two nations. Since the first visit in 2016 to Saudi Arabia, President Xi chose the nation as his first stop during this year’s visit – this will open a new chapter of building a comprehensive, and strategic partnership between the two counties, which will in turn benefit the people in both countries."

The 40-year-old Dubai expatriate said that the regional summit will certainly further facilitate collaboration in areas such as trade, investment, energy, education, technology, information, and security.

Being in the educational sector for over 10 years in the UAE, I believe President Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia will... bring great benefits to the people on both sides. This is a new step in collaboration between China and the GCC. - Tongtong Zhou, Oriental Wise Education Group CEO and Vice President of UAE China Culture and Education Association

"As one of the six member countries, the UAE will certainly see more collaboration with China. Being in the educational sector for over 10 years in the UAE, I believe President Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia will... bring great benefits to the people on both sides. This is a new step in collaboration between China and the GCC."

Zhixiang Chen, president of UAE China Peace and Unity Promotion Association, chairman of Gaoxiu International Investment Company Limited, and businessman in the building materials sector, said: "The visit has historical value. It will bring many fruitful outcomes. This is yet another milestone in the relationship between two countries. I look forward to the successful outcome of President Xi’s visit! Wishing a long-lasting relationship between China and the UAE!

"From the Silk Road over 2000 years ago, to the close ties of China and the UAE together in this new time, peace, collaboration, mutual benefits and win-win principles have always been the melody of trade exchange between the two countries. At present, China and countries in the Gulf region face similar historical opportunities. Trade activities will continue friendship between the two parties, promote further strategic collaboration and reach consensus on omnidirectional development. President Xi’s visit will open a broader prospect and will bring further enhancement in trade ties for the two countries.

"President Xi’s visit will certainly influence the Chinese business community in the UAE and other countries in the Gulf region. Meanwhile, it offers more opportunities for companies in both countries to connect and pair, create more trading activities, and ultimately facilitates economic collaborations and developments globally, " concluded the 45-year-old expatriate.

From the Silk Road over 2000 years ago, to the close ties of China and the UAE together in this new time, peace, collaboration, mutual benefits and win-win principles have always been the melody of trade exchange between the two countries. - Zhixiang Chen, president of UAE China Peace and Unity Promotion Association, chairman of Gaoxiu International Investment Company Limited, and businessman in the building materials sector

Feng Li, 52-year-old general manager of Yingtian China Business Center, director of Yingke and Shayan Legal Consulting, said: "The visit will further enhance collaboration in the field of economy and trade, investment, and security, between China and countries in the Gulf region. We as members of the Chinese business community in the UAE are very excited at President Xi’s visit. We hope more Chinese companies will invest in this region. We hope more Chinese companies will choose the UAE as their regional base and expand their businesses across the Middle East and Africa."

We hope more Chinese companies will choose the UAE as their regional base and expand their businesses across the Middle East and Africa. - Feng Li, general manager of Yingtian China Business Center, director of Yingke and Shayan Legal Consulting

"For the Chinese community who live and conduct business in the UAE, President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia is a much-awaited event," said 36-year-old Dubai-based Mingtao Zhu. He is a general manager in the events and exhibition sector in the UAE.

"Saudi Arabia plays a vital role in the energy output globally. Through this visit, we hope the strategic relationship between China and the Gulf countries can be enhanced further. Not only partnership in energy, but also in culture, economy and trade at large will be further facilitated.

"The relationship between the Gulf region and China has seen tremendous growth in the past 10 years.

"As long-term residents who've been in the region for many years and who will continue our lives here for many more years to come, we can clearly see the region’s continuous effort in attracting Chinese people and development of its Chinese market.

For the Chinese community who live and conduct business in the UAE, President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia is a much-awaited event. - Mingtao Zhu, general manager in the events and exhibition sector in the UAE

"Member countries in the Gulf region responded positively to the One Belt, One Road initiative, and we are positive that this visit will take the trade development between the Gulf and China to a higher level. It will tighten the bond and promote more frequent exchanges between the two."

Zhu added that President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia acts as a "powerful boost to the Chinese business community in the UAE". He envisions the visit to further encourage trade relations. "I believe that more and more Chinese people will look to the UAE market, the Saudi market and other member countries in the Gulf region."

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What to Know About the Summit Between Putin and Xi in China

China’s backing will be crucial to President Vladimir V. Putin as he intensifies his offensive in Ukraine. But his host, Xi Jinping, has other competing priorities.

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By David Pierson

When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, hosts President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia this week, the two leaders presented a united front. But they have different agendas.

Mr. Putin is trying to escalate his war in Ukraine before Ukrainian forces can receive a replenishment of arms from the United States, and probably wants to know he can rely on China. Mr. Xi is keen to exploit Russia’s acute wartime needs to secure preferential access to Russian resources and markets, but he is also under pressure to avoid further alienating the West over his support for the Kremlin.

Those priorities were the backdrop of Mr. Putin’s two-day state visit, which began in Beijing on Thursday , and included a trip to the northeastern city of Harbin, where a China-Russia trade fair was being held.

Mr. Putin likely sought more help from Beijing, which has provided a lifeline to the Kremlin since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. China purchases huge quantities of Russian oil and sold technologies that helped Moscow withstand its economic isolation and sustain its war machine.

Mr. Xi considers Russia an important ally in China’s rivalry with the United States, but if helps Russia too much, he risks alienating Europe, a key trading partner, just as China is relying on exports to revive its sluggish economy.

Here is what to know about the summit.

A Personal Relationship and a Shared Vision

The visit is Mr. Putin’s first foreign trip since winning his fifth presidential election in March. Mr. Xi showed the same respect to Mr. Putin when he made Russia his first foreign trip after securing his norm-shattering third term as China’s president in March 2023.

Mr. Xi has met with Mr. Putin over 40 times, including virtually, which is more than any other leader. The two men have cast their relationship as deeply personal by exchanging birthday greetings and referring to each other as “old” and “dear” friends.

In Mr. Putin, Mr. Xi sees a like-minded autocratic leader who blames the United States for holding back his country’s rise. The two leaders declared a “no limits” partnership weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to push back against what they consider American hegemony.

Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin also view themselves as architects of a new world order free of U.S. interference. The two leaders have promoted multilateral groupings of developing countries like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, so named because it includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as a way to counterbalance the West.

Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin projected strength and solidarity during their summit, demonstrating that there is an alternative to the U.S.-led global system.

“Russia-China relations have reached an all-time high, and even in the face of severe international situations, relations between the two countries continue to strengthen,” Mr. Putin said in an interview with Chinese state media published on Wednesday.

What Putin Wants

China has vowed not to provide lethal weapons to Russia, but the United States and Western analysts say China has been helping Russia with satellite intelligence and fighter jet parts as well as supplying components with both civilian and military uses, such as microchips, machine tools, optical devices, electronic sensors and telecommunications gear.

Mr. Putin most likely wants any such supply of parts and equipment to continue, to help sustain his military’s advances as he intensifies the war effort.

Russian forces opened a new line of attack in recent days near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Ukraine’s forces are stretched thin and running short on weapons, but billions of dollars’ worth of arms from the United States are expected to trickle in soon.

Mr. Putin also likely sought more trade and business deals and traveled with a large delegation. Included were five deputy prime ministers, and the heads of Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear power company, and Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency. Sergey V. Lavrov, the foreign minister was also there, as was Maksim Reshetnikov, the economy minister, and Andrei R. Belousov, an economist who was named the new defense minister this week.

“The people involved reflect the priorities of both sides,” said Elizabeth Wishnick, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses in Virginia who studies Chinese foreign policy.

Mr. Belousov has experience working with China, having previously been co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Investment Cooperation, which was founded in 2014 to promote more trade between the two countries.

Among the deputy prime ministers traveling with Mr. Putin was Alexander Novak, the man in charge of Russian oil and gas, including the development of the Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline. Mr. Putin has long sought to cement an agreement on the project, which would redirect Russian gas supplies that had gone to Europe toward China instead.

It is unclear whether Mr. Xi is interested in the pipeline. Analysts say the Chinese leader could be reluctant because it would travel through a third country, Mongolia, and that it could expose China to potential secondary sanctions and leave it even more reliant on Russia for energy.

Mr. Putin did not announce any progress on the pipeline at the end of his trip.

“I am not prepared to discuss any technical details, but the interest of both sides in realizing these projects has been confirmed,” Mr. Putin told reporters shortly before departing for Russia, referring to Power of Siberia 2.

Xi’s Strategic Straddle

Mr. Xi has tried to align with Russia and steady ties with the West at the same time to help his ailing economy, an approach that some call a strategic straddle.

China casts itself as neutral on the war in Ukraine and as a proponent of peace. It has offered a vague, 12-point plan for a political settlement of the war and sent an envoy to conduct shuttle diplomacy in Europe.

Western countries have dismissed China’s efforts because they do not call for a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. China also sides with Russia by blaming the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for creating the tensions that led to Moscow’s invasion.

Mr. Xi’s refusal to condemn the Kremlin’s war has ultimately worsened China’s relations with the West, and it has led to Europe’s growing alignment with the United States on security issues. This makes China’s efforts to head off a trade war with the European Union — over exports of Chinese electric vehicles and market access for European companies — harder for Mr. Xi.

Tensions are also rising with the United States, testing a tentative détente struck by President Biden and Mr. Xi in November. The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a sharp increase in tariffs on an array of Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, solar cells, semiconductors and advanced batteries.

During a visit to Beijing last month, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned that the United States would blacklist Chinese banks aiding Russia’s war effort. Russian media reported earlier in the year that Chinese financial institutions had already begun scaling back transactions with Russian firms over concerns about secondary sanctions. Analysts say the change most likely contributed to the drop in year-on-year trade between Russia and China in March, the first such decline since January 2021, according to Chinese customs data.

Anatoly Kurmanaev contributed reporting.

David Pierson covers Chinese foreign policy and China’s economic and cultural engagement with the world. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about David Pierson

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World’s Nuclear Inspector: Rafael Grossi took over the International Atomic Energy Agency five years ago at what now seems like a far less fraught moment. With atomic fears everywhere, the inspector is edging toward mediator .

Frozen Russian Assets: As much as $300 billion in frozen Russian assets is piling up profits and interest income by the day. Now, Ukraine’s allies are considering how to use those gains to aid Kyiv .

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Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs , videos and radio transmissions  to independently confirm troop movements and other details.

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