Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing amid Ukraine tensions
ABCThe leaders of Russia and China have pushed back against US pressure, declaring their opposition to any expansion of NATO and affirming that the island of Taiwan is a part of China, as they met hours before the Winter Olympics kicked off in Beijing. Key points: In a joint statement, the leaders opposed NATO's expansion and accused the West of stoking instability Moscow added that it fully supported Beijing's stance on Taiwan Mr Putin's presence makes him the highest-profile guest at the Winter Olympics Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping issued a joint statement highlighting what it called "interference in the internal affairs" of other states, as both leaders face criticism from Washington over their foreign and domestic policies. Mr Putin also recalled his presence in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the Chinese delegation's attendance at Russia's 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, calling such exchanges "to a certain extent a tradition." Leaders call on West to abandon Cold War 'ideological approaches' Mr Putin and Mr Xi accused both NATO and the US's Indo-Pacific strategy of building closer military ties with other countries in Asia as destabilising and threatening regional security. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call last week that Moscow's security concerns need to be addressed, a statement that marked a notable policy shift for Beijing.