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Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian<\/a> President Vladimir Putin pledged to deepen their strategic partnership in Beijing on Thursday in a stark show of their growing alignment<\/a> as Russian troops advance in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Putin \u2013 whose delegation includes top defense and security officials \u2013 was welcomed by Xi to Beijing\u2019s Great Hall of the People earlier with full military pageantry, heralding the start of the Russian president\u2019s two-day state visit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi hailed the two countries\u2019 deepening ties, which were formalized in a joint statement inked by the leaders in a ceremony Thursday afternoon, saying they would \u201cinject strong momentum\u201d in the development of their relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The visit \u2014 Putin\u2019s symbolic first overseas foray since entering a new term as Russia\u2019s president<\/a> last week \u2013 is the latest sign of the tightening relations as the two bind their countries closer in the face of heavy frictions with the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In meetings with Putin, Xi proclaimed that China-Russian relations have \u201cstood the test of a changing international landscape\u201d and made \u201cpositive contributions to maintaining global strategic stability,\u201d according to a readout from China\u2019s Foreign Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Putin, whose economy has become increasingly reliant<\/a> on China since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, hailed the countries\u2019 \u201cpractical cooperation\u201d in meetings with Xi, noting their record bilateral trade last year, while stressing the importance of bolstering energy, industrial, and agriculture cooperation, according to Russian state media Tass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their meeting is Putin and Xi\u2019s fourth time speaking face-to-face since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 \u2013 which came weeks after the two declared a \u201cno limits\u201d partnership on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This week\u2019s state visit comes amid mounting international concern about the direction of the war in Ukraine amid delays to aid for Kyiv and as Russia\u2019s economy and defense complex appears unbowed by Western sanctions \u2013 a situation that United States officials have alleged<\/a> is linked to Chinese support, which Beijing denies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n