Tokyo | Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping stressed the need for closer ties between their two nations in a “difficult” world, as they met in Beijing on Wednesday in a sign of defiance to the United States and its Western allies.

Mr Xi said there was “deepening trust” between China and Russia as the two leaders met for formal talks on the sidelines of a gathering of world leaders in Beijing to mark the tenth anniversary of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).