Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Beijing on Thursday left no question of how closely the Chinese and Russian leaders are aligned in their vision for the world – and on bolstering the “powerful driving force” of their autocratic double act.
The two vowed to deepen their strategic partnership, and took aim at a United States they painted as a destabilizing aggressor.
In a sweeping 7,000-word joint statement outlining their shared view on issues from Taiwan to the war in Gaza, they proclaimed: “Russian-Chinese relations stand the test of rapid changes in the…