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Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in the far east of Russia on Tuesday, the same day the Kremlin began its most important military exercise since the Cold War.
As a sign of strengthening ties between the two Asian giants, the leaders met for two days of talks at the Eastern Economic Forum, organized by Russia in the port city of Vladivostok. It's their third meeting in 2018.
"We have a relationship of trust in politics, security and defense," Putin told the Russian press about Xi, whom he called his "best friend most intimate "earlier this year.
Observers note that the economic, political and military ties between the two countries are flourishing as they attempt to counter the Trump administration's efforts to reaffirm American power throughout the world. # 39; Asia. They also collaborate as a result of the American trade war.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, China's direct investment in Russia jumped by 72 percent last year, with Russia now ranking China's ninth largest trading partner.
A central project cited by both parties – the 1,864-km gas pipeline currently being built by the Russian energy giant Gazprom – will link eastern Siberia to the Chinese border.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Xi and Putin were to discuss Moscow's desire for Beijing to invest more in the east of sparsely populated Russia.
Meanwhile, China wants to be assured that, despite the turmoil created by the trade war, Russia will continue to be its main supplier of oil.
Also Tuesday, a consortium of Russian and Chinese companies announced plans for $ 100 billion of upcoming joint investment projects. The Russian-Chinese Trade Advisory Committee unveiled the news on the Vladivostok forum.
Intimate relations mark a radical change from the Cold War era as China and the USSR attempted to dominate the communist countries of the world, as well as sometimes clashing with their borders.
According to military analysts, the presence of 3,200 Chinese soldiers participating in the military games, known as "Vostok 2018", involving about 300,000 Russian servicemen, underlines their growing relationship. The last Russian exercise of similar scale took place in 1981 during the Cold War.
The Vostok exercises occur during the exacerbated tensions between NATO and Russia following the annexation by Russia of the Crimea of Ukraine in 2014.
Tuesday and Wednesday involve planning and preparation, operations to begin Thursday and take place over five days, said the Russian army chief of staff, General Valery Gerasimov.
NATO said it was monitoring exercises.
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