Xi, Putin announce extension of friendship treaty ahead of CPC centenary

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks via video link on June 28, 2021. - Xinhua,/AFP

BEIJING (Global Times): Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly announced the extension of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation on Monday (June 28), three days ahead of the centennial of the Communist Party of China (CPC), while Putin congratulated Xi on the CPC's centenary and expressed hopes for enhanced China-Russia inter-party exchanges.

The extension of the treaty - a vivid example of a new type of international relations - and such frequent interactions between the top leaders of the world's two major powers are also widely seen as a direct response to doubts in the West over China-Russia relations as the US seeks to align its allies to confront them both, and even split the ties, Chinese experts said.