Xi, Putin slam US as they pledge to deepen close military ties

They say Washington displaying aggressive behaviour that threatens their countries

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 16 condemned what they labelled as increasingly aggressive US behaviour, and pledged to deepen their countries' already close defence and military ties.

In a clear snub to Washington, Mr Xi said China and Russia see eye to eye on a range of important issues, including the war in Ukraine, and will resist pressure from the West to downgrade their ties.

"The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it," Mr Xi told Mr Putin.

"China is willing to... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world," he added.

Mr Antony Blinken, the US' top diplomat, flew to China in April to persuade Beijing to scale back its relationship with Moscow.

But a joint statement spoke of concerns about what were described as US efforts to violate the strategic nuclear balance, Washington's global missile defence initiatives that threaten Russia and China, and US plans for high-precision non-nuclear weapons.

Mr Putin, on his first overseas trip since being inaugurated for a new presidential term, described Moscow's and Beijing's cooperation in world affairs as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena.

"Together, we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law," Mr Putin told Mr Xi.