BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday, bringing with him a deal to extend pure gas supply to China amid rising tensions with the West.

Putin informed Chinese language President Xi Jinping in Beijing that Russia had ready a brand new deal to supply China with an extra 10 billion cubic metres of pure gas, in accordance with a broadcast of their talks aired in Moscow.

Russia, one of many world leaders in hydrocarbon provides, has been strengthening its ties with China, the world’s high vitality client towards the backdrop of Moscow’s standoff with the West over Ukraine and different points. 

Chinese language state tv CCTV mentioned Putin had arrived in the Chinese language capital, noting that he had, like China, expressed opposition to the “politicization” of the Video games.

CCTV footage confirmed a jet flying with the Russian and Chinese language flags. Subsequent to it have been jets with Mongolian and Serbian flags. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister L Oyun-Erdene, of Mongolia, are anticipated to attend the opening ceremony afterward Friday.

Earlier, state media reported that Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the United Arab Emirates’ Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had additionally touched down.

The USA and a few of its allies have introduced a diplomatic boycott of the Video games in protest at China’s human rights report. China denies any abuses.

Putin and Xi have been anticipated to have lunch collectively on Friday, and will signal greater than 15 agreements, in accordance with the Kremlin, with new offers being ready in relation to pure gas.

The Olympics, already reworked by the coronavirus pandemic and to be held inside a strictly closed loop, have additionally been overshadowed by the specter of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia and China coordinated their positions on Ukraine throughout a gathering between their overseas ministers, Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov, in Beijing on Thursday, the Chinese language overseas ministry mentioned.

In response, america warned Chinese language companies that they might face penalties in the event that they sought to evade export controls imposed in Moscow in the occasion of Russia invading Ukraine.

“We have an array of tools that we can deploy if we see foreign companies, including those in China, doing their best to backfill U.S. export control actions, to evade them, to get around them,” U.S. State Division spokesman Ned Value informed an everyday information briefing.

Earlier than Lavrov, Beijing had not obtained overseas political company for virtually two years because it tried to maintain the coronavirus out.

1000’s of Russian troops have massed close to the border of Ukraine, elevating fears of an invasion, which Russia denies planning. Russia has requested NATO to bar Ukraine from becoming a member of and to tug out of jap Europe.