BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that China&rsquo;s development could go &ldquo;hand-in-hand&rdquo; with US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;make America great again&rdquo; agenda, as both leaders met in Beijing for talks covering trade,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/usisrael-war-on-iran-day-76" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>&nbsp;and broader global issues. &ldquo;Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can totally go hand in hand, help each other succeed, and advance the well-being of the whole world,&rdquo; Xi said at a banquet after the talks. US President Donald Trump said discussions with Xi were &ldquo;extremely positive and productive&rdquo; during remarks at the Great Hall of the People. &ldquo;We had extremely positive and productive conversations and meetings today with the Chinese delegation earlier,&rdquo; Trump said, calling the banquet &ldquo;another cherished opportunity to discuss among friends.&rdquo; Trump also said he had extended an invitation for Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan to visit the White House on September 24. &ldquo;It is my honor to extend an invitation to you, Madam Peng, to visit us at the White House this September 24, and we look forward to it,&rdquo; he said. The White House said both leaders agreed that the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/oil-soars-as-trump-rejects-irans-terms" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strait of Hormuz</a>&nbsp;&ldquo;must remain open&rdquo; to ensure the uninterrupted flow of global energy supplies. Trump said the two countries would have &ldquo;a fantastic future together,&rdquo; while Xi said China and the United States &ldquo;should be partners and not rivals.&rdquo; Xi was received with a formal red-carpet welcome at the Great Hall of the People, including military honors, a gun salute and schoolchildren chanting &ldquo;Welcome!&rdquo; The visit marks the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade, taking place amid continuing tensions over trade, technology and global security. Xi said stable ties between the two countries are important for the world, adding: &ldquo;Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both.&rdquo; He also told visiting US business executives that China would continue to expand its openness to international companies. &ldquo;China&rsquo;s doors to the outside world will open wider and wider... American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China,&rdquo; he said, according to Chinese state media. Among US business leaders accompanying Trump were Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk described the meetings as &ldquo;wonderful,&rdquo; while Huang said the two leaders &ldquo;were incredible.&rdquo; Iran was a key issue in the discussions after tensions in the Middle East delayed Trump&rsquo;s visit earlier this year. Trump said he expected a &ldquo;long talk&rdquo; with Xi on Iran, which exports most of its sanctioned oil to China, but added: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we need any help with Iran&rdquo; from Beijing. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington hoped China would take &ldquo;a more active role&rdquo; in the Persian Gulf region. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/chinese-us-delegations-meet-for-trade-talks-in-paris-state-media" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trade and tariffs</a>&nbsp;also featured prominently, with Trump seeking agreements on agriculture, aircraft and other sectors. Before the visit, Trump said he would push for greater Chinese market access for US companies. Both sides were also expected to discuss extending a one-year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-urges-us-to-cancel-unilateral-tariffs-after-supreme-court-ruling" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">tariff</a>&nbsp;truce agreed in South Korea last October after tariffs between the two countries rose above 100%. China&rsquo;s restrictions on rare-earth exports and growing competition in artificial intelligence were also part of the agenda. Trump was also scheduled to visit Beijing&rsquo;s historic Temple of Heaven as both governments sought to manage a tense but economically significant relationship.

A man films a news program about the meeting between US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (AFP)

Americas

China

Talks between the Chinese and US presidents in Beijing focused on trade and Iran, with both sides expressing optimism about future cooperation and stability in bilateral relations.

Xi says China progress compatible with making America great again

BEIJING: US President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing deep tensions between the rival superpowers. Giving a fist pump, Trump descended the steps of Air Force One after touching down at Beijing Capital International Airport, kicking off the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade. Right behind him were Tesla boss Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang &ndash; potent symbols of the business deals that Trump hopes to sign between the world&#39;s biggest economies. Trump was greeted with a bunch of flowers and then walked along the red carpet, which was lined with 300 Chinese youth in white uniforms chanting &quot;welcome&quot; and waving small Chinese and US flags in unison. While en route to Beijing, Trump said on social media he would &quot;be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to &#39;open up&#39; China so that these brilliant people can work their magic&quot;. Nvidia&#39;s Huang was a surprise late addition to the trip, joining the plane at a stopover in Alaska. China is currently banned under US national security rules from buying the cutting-edge AI chips that the company produces. But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-75" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>, trade and Taiwan, among other topics, loom over the highly anticipated meeting, which Trump had already delayed from March because of the war the United States and Israel started in the Middle East. China &#39;welcomes&#39; Trump visit Visiting China for the first time since 2017 during his previous term, Trump is expected to receive a lavish welcome from Chinese authorities. Trump and Xi will hold talks at 10:00 am local time on Thursday in Beijing&#39;s opulent Great Hall of the People. The US president will also visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a world heritage site where China&#39;s emperors once prayed for good&nbsp;harvest. The leaders will then enjoy a state banquet in the evening. On Friday, they are set to have tea and a working lunch before Trump heads home. As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a &quot;long talk&quot; with Xi about the joint US-Israeli war with Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China. But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that &quot;I don&#39;t think we need any help with Iran&quot; from China and that Xi had been &quot;relatively good&quot; on the topic. The Chinese foreign ministry said Wednesday it &quot;welcomes&quot; Trump&#39;s visit and that &quot;China stands ready to work with the United States... to expand cooperation and manage differences&quot;. Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the United States. &#39;Big deal&#39; The long-simmering trade war between the two countries will also be top of the agenda, after Trump&#39;s sweeping tariffs last year triggered tit-for-tat levies that exceeded 100%. Trump and Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce, which the two leaders reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October, although a deal is far from certain. China&#39;s controls on rare earth and agriculture exports are also expected to be on the menu. The tense buildup to the summit was already visible on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw. &quot;It&#39;s definitely a big deal,&quot; said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump&#39;s visit.

Trump arrives in Beijing for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing tensions, as both sides prepare to discuss trade, tariffs and geopolitical disputes between the superpowers.

Trump and Xi set for high-stakes talks in Beijing

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would ask President Xi Jinping to &quot;open up&quot; China to US business when the two meet in Beijing this week for high-stakes talks. &quot;I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to &#39;open up&#39; China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People&#39;s Republic to an even higher level!&quot; Trump wrote on social media, referring to US business CEOs accompanying him on the trip. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Beijing on May 14-15, a summit that was delayed in March following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.&nbsp; It marks the first state visit to China from a US president since 2017, when Trump was first in office. Geopolitical tensions, particularly trade, Taiwan, the Iran war, and artificial intelligence, loom over the upcoming meeting. Meanwhile, the global economy continues to feel the effects of soaring oil and gas prices from the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the fragile trade truce between the United States and China.

Says that during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15, he would ask his Chinese counterpart to open the country to US business.

Trump says will ask Xi to 'open up' China to US business

BEIJING:&nbsp;Donald Trump was due in Beijing Wednesday on the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to ramp up trade. Leaving Washington on Tuesday on a trip that was delayed by his war, <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-confirms-trumps-visit-this-week" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump</a> said he expected a &quot;long talk&quot; with counterpart&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-us-to-exchange-views-on-major-issues-during-trump-visit" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xi Jinping</a> about Iran. But he also played down disagreements on Iran, saying that Xi has been &quot;relatively good, to be honest with you&quot;. &quot;I don&#39;t think we need any help with Iran. We&#39;ll win it one way or the other. We&#39;ll win it peacefully or otherwise,&quot; Trump told reporters as he left the White House. This week&#39;s trip -- the first since Trump visited in 2017 -- will involve high-stakes talks with Xi on Thursday and Friday, during a packed itinerary that includes a state banquet and tea reception. China&#39;s controls on rare earth exports and the countries&#39; trade relationship are among the topics expected to be taken up by the heads of the world&#39;s top two economies. The buildup to the superpower summit was already visible Tuesday on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw. &#39;Definitely a big deal&#39;&quot;It&#39;s definitely a big deal,&quot; said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump&#39;s visit. &quot;Some progress will certainly be made,&quot; she said, noting that she hopes China and the United States can ensure &quot;lasting peace&quot; despite &quot;recent instability in the global situation&quot;. Trade ties between Beijing and Washington have been fraught in recent years. The two sides are currently maintaining a one-year truce in their tariff war reached at Trump and Xi&#39;s last meeting in South Korea in October. China&#39;s major surplus in trade with the United States has long irked Trump, who slapped tariffs on the country&#39;s goods during his first term in office. Trump will be accompanied in China by a large group of top US business executives, including Tesla&#39;s Elon Musk and Apple&#39;s Tim Cook, the White House has said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Positive results&#39;</h2>For Li Jiahao, 30, who manages a Beijing karaoke bar, the summit will not necessarily solve all problems in China-US relations -- though he is hoping for &quot;positive results&quot;. &quot;Coming here and actually resolving the issues are two different things,&quot; he told AFP. &quot;China and the United States both have responsibilities as major powers,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;only through friendship can we achieve mutual development and become stronger&quot;. The war in Iran -- launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28 -- has presented new challenges in the already-complicated relationship between Beijing and Washington. The US Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned 12 individuals and entities -- including several based in Hong Kong -- it said facilitated sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China. Asked about the latest moves on Tuesday, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry, said that &quot;China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions&quot;.

Asia

China's controls on rare earth exports and the countries' trade relationship are among the topics expected to be taken up by the heads of the world's top two economies.

Trump heads to China for superpower summit

BEIJING: Senior Chinese and US officials will hold talks in South Korea in the coming days, Beijing&#39;s commerce ministry and Washington&#39;s treasury secretary said Sunday, ahead of an expected summit between leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. The Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement that Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing&#39;s top economic official, will attend &quot;consultations on mutual economic and trade issues&quot; in South Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X: &quot;On Wednesday, I will stop in Seoul for a discussion with Vice Premier He Lifeng of China, before continuing on to Beijing for the Leaders&#39; Summit between President Trump and President Xi.&quot; Trump is set to visit China for a high-stakes summit with Xi, with the leaders of the world&#39;s top two economies expected to focus on easing tensions over trade and Taiwan, with the war in the Middle East looming in the background. While Washington and Beijing slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other&#39;s exports a year ago, Trump and Xi agreed on a year-long trade truce at their October meeting in South Korea. He and Bessent have been the chief negotiators for China and the United States on all trade and economic issues. The talks are likely to put the finishing touches on any announcements to be made during the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trumpxi-summit-to-focus-on-iran-tariffs-and-rare-earths" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump-Xi summit</a>. Bessent said he would have prior talks in Tokyo on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/japan-pm-says-oil-crisis-has-enormous-impact-in-asiapacific" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sanae Takaichi</a> and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, along with other public and private sector representatives. &quot;Economic security is national security, and I look forward to a productive series of engagements as we work to advance President Trump&#39;s America First Economic Agenda,&quot; Bessent said.

US President Donald Trump (L) and China's President Xi Jinping greet each other as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, located next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30, 2025. (AFP)

Business

Senior Chinese and US officials will hold trade talks in South Korea ahead of an expected summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

China, US to hold trade talks in Seoul ahead of Trump-Xi summit

BEIJING: The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said Tuesday. The explosion occurred at around 4:43 pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Following the blast, all fireworks makers in Hunan&#39;s provincial capital Changsha, which administers Liuyang, had been ordered to stop production ahead of safety inspections, CCTV said. Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains. Drone footage from CCTV taken a day later showed a swathe of smoldering debris where buildings had stood, with rescue workers and excavators scouring the rubble. Smoke continued to rise from some buildings left standing, many of them with their roofs blown off. Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that another five people had died since earlier reports that 21 were killed. &quot;We feel deeply grieved and filled with remorse,&quot; Chen said, adding that search and rescue work was &quot;basically complete&quot;. The central government had sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers had been urgently dispatched to the site, according to CCTV. They had established a 3-kilometre control zone around the site and evacuated people nearby. Police had apprehended the company&#39;s management while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV said. President Xi Jinping had called for &quot;all-out efforts&quot; to treat the injured, search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported. Liuyang is a major fireworks hub, producing around 60 % of the fireworks sold in China and 70% of those exported. Industrial accidents, including in the fireworks industry, are common in China due to lax safety standards. Last year, an explosion at another fireworks factory in Hunan killed nine people, and in 2023, three people were killed after blasts struck residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin. In February, separate explosions at fireworks shops in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces killed 12 and eight people.

Firefighters spray water at the scene of a fireworks factory explosion in Liuyang, in China’s central Hunan province on May 5, 2026. (AFP)

A fireworks factory explosion in central China kills 26 and injures 61, prompting safety shutdowns, evacuations, and an investigation, as authorities deploy rescuers and pledge accountability for the disaster.

China fireworks factory explosion kills 26, injures 61

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief on Tuesday over a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-fireworks-factory-explosion-kills-21-injures-61" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">deadly explosion</a>&nbsp;at a fireworks factory in China. According to an official statement posted on X (Twitter), PM Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and injuries caused by the blast in Liuyang, Hunan province. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2051678463992684944&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=a5b9dfb6e49d814bb83fcc6ff6f4a5c0f4e0e931&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2051678463992684944&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=16ff121c6dd01fb7225e26bedc145675543c5d12&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> At least 26 people were killed and 61 were injured in the explosion at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan province, according to the Chinese state broadcaster. The blast occurred around 4:43 pm Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company. Authorities ordered fireworks producers in Changsha, which oversees Liuyang, to halt operations for safety inspections. More than 480 rescuers were deployed, a control zone was set up, and nearby residents were evacuated. The prime minister extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured. He also expressed solidarity with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese people and the Chinese government. Pakistan FM sends message of solidarity Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed grief on Tuesday over the fireworks factory explosion in a statement posted on X. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2051683827840618864&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=16ff121c6dd01fb7225e26bedc145675543c5d12&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Dar said he was deeply saddened by the incident in Hunan province and extended condolences to the Chinese leadership and the families of those killed. He offered his condolences to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and said Pakistan prays for the swift recovery of those injured.

Foreign Affairs

PM Sharif offers condolences after a fireworks factory explosion in China kills 26 and injures 61; expresses solidarity with Chinese leadership, wishing recovery for those injured.

Pakistan's PM condoles with China over deadly fireworks factory blast

BEIJING: Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over a visit by US President Donald Trump expected this month. Trump has suggested Washington may delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the waterway, critical to oil transportation, in retaliation for the US and Israeli war against Tehran. &#39;Maintaining communication&#39; Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry said on Monday that Beijing and Washington &quot;are maintaining communication regarding President Trump&#39;s visit to China&quot;. &quot;Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations,&quot; spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference. He did not address Trump&#39;s recent pressure on NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The &quot;tense situation&quot; in the strait has &quot;disrupted international trade routes for goods and energy&quot;, Lin said when asked about Trump&#39;s comments. Global oil prices&nbsp; Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50% since the war began, with the waterway choked off and Iran&#39;s attacks on energy and shipping industry targets in its Gulf neighbors. China is a net importer of oil and one of several major Asian economies that depend on the strait for energy. The Middle East was the source of 57% of China&#39;s direct seaborne crude imports in 2025, according to analytics firm Kpler. Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.

Trump has suggested Washington may delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

China says 'maintaining communication' with US over Trump visit

BEIJING/MOSCOW: Russian leader Vladimir Putin hailed Moscow&#39;s economic, political, and security ties with Beijing as a &quot;stabilizing&quot; factor in turbulent times globally, in a video call with China&#39;s Xi Jinping on Wednesday. &quot;Amid growing turbulence, the foreign policy alliance between Moscow and Beijing remains an important stabilising factor,&quot; Putin told Xi in a video broadcast on Russian state TV.&nbsp; Xi was holding the call with Putin via a video link from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The call comes days after top diplomats from both countries agreed bilateral relations could &ldquo;break new ground&rdquo; this year as <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/britains-starmer-hails-good-progress-after-meeting-chinas-xi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beijing</a>&nbsp;and Moscow seek to ramp up economic cooperation. &lsquo;Close exchanges&rsquo;Their strategic partnership has grown closer since Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The two leaders, who are regularly in contact, exchanged New Year greetings on Dec. 31, in which Xi expressed &quot;readiness to continue maintaining close exchanges&quot; with Putin, according to China&#39;s foreign ministry. They last met in person in September when the Russian leader attended Beijing&#39;s massive military parade. &lsquo;Unprecedented level&rsquo;During the visit, Putin told Xi during talks that their countries&#39; ties were at an &ldquo;unprecedented level&rdquo;. Putin and a slew of world leaders had visited the port city of Tianjin before that to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit - a forum that China sees as an alternative to Western-dominated international cooperation. Xi also visited Moscow last year, in May, for Russia&#39;s celebrations of the World War II defeat of the Nazis. The two chatted while they watched tanks and missiles roll across Red Square during Russia&rsquo;s flagship Victory Day Parade.

'Amid growing turbulence, the foreign policy alliance between Moscow and Beijing remains an important stabilising factor,' Putin told Xi in a video broadcast on Russian state TV. 

Putin tells Xi Moscow-Beijing alliance 'stabilizing' for world

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping called on countries to protect the &ldquo;central role&rdquo; of the United Nations in international affairs, urging his Brazilian counterpart on Friday to help safeguard international norms, state media reported. The comments come after US President Donald Trump unveiled plans for his new &ldquo;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/what-is-trumps-board-of-peace" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Board of Peace</a>&rdquo; at the World Economic Forum. While China and Brazil have both been <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-confirms-invited-to-join-trumps-board-of-peace" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited to join Trump&#39;s new grouping</a>, neither has confirmed participation. Xi told President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during their Friday morning phone call that in the current &ldquo;tumultuous&rdquo; international situation, China and Brazil &ldquo;are constructive forces in maintaining world peace and stability&rdquo;, according to a readout published by state broadcaster CCTV. &lsquo;Right side of history&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;They should stand firmly on the right side of history... and jointly uphold the central role of the United Nations and international fairness and justice,&rdquo; Xi said. While in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said that once complete, the board &ldquo;can do pretty much whatever we want&rdquo;, while adding that &ldquo;we&#39;ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations&rdquo;. Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that &ldquo;no matter how the international situation changes, China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core&rdquo;. Brazil has also expressed skepticism about the Board of Peace, saying it could represent &ldquo;a revocation&rdquo; of the United Nations. Multilateral trading systemLula&#39;s special adviser, Celso Amorim told Brazilian media that &ldquo;we cannot consider a reform of the UN made by one country.&rdquo; During Trump&#39;s global tariff onslaught last year, China and Brazil sought to present their countries as staunch defenders of the multilateral trading system. Xi told Lula in August that they could set an example of &quot;self-reliance&quot; for emerging powers.

Beijing's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that ‘no matter how the international situation changes, China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core’.

Articles tagged with "Chinese President Xi Jinping"