XI, PUTIN RENEW DEAL ON CLOSER COLLABORATION

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Monday to work together to bolster friendly cooperation between the two countries, a tabloid affiliated with China's ruling Communist Party stressed, Kyodo News reported.

Xi and Putin held video talks three days ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, criticized by many democratic nations over several issues such as its alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and crackdown on Hong Kong.

The latest conversation was the second interaction between the two leaders within six weeks, the Global Times said, adding their frequent meetings show deepening mutual trust and deliver a heavy blow to Western attempts to split China-Russia friendship.

Xi and Putin formally extended the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, signed in 2001, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China and Russia have injected positive energy into the international community through their close cooperation, as the world is entering a period of turbulence and change and human development is confronted with multiple crises, Xi told Putin.

The two nations have set a good example for a new type of international relations, Xi was quoted by Xinhua as telling Putin. China and Russia's predecessor state, the Soviet Union, were competitors during the Cold War, as they were at odds over interpretations and practical applications of Marxism-Leninism. The two countries, however, have been deepening their ties of late, as their relations with the United States have deteriorated.

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