INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
unfavorable external environment, illegitimate restrictions, and direct blackmail by some Western countries, Russia and China have managed
that Moscow wanted to ramp up military cooperation with Beijing and invited him to make a state visit to Russia in the spring of 2023.Xi
governments imposed sanctions on Moscow following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.Putin is seeking to strengthen ties with Beijing and
boost economic cooperation in the face of international condemnation and Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine.Despite developing a
tempestuous relationship during the Cold War, China and Russia have drawn progressively closer since the collapse of the Soviet Union and in
relationship.The two countries have also stepped up military cooperation, with China last month sending hundreds of troops to take part in
military exercises in Russia's Far East.AFP contributed reporting.
