Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Thursday as both countries seek to bolster their strategic relationship. Putin's two-day state visit to China comes at the invitation of Xi and will be the Russian leader's first foreign trip since he began his fifth term in office last week. The two countries have touted their "no-limits" friendship since February 2022, as a counter to the global influence of the U.S. China has increasingly become Russia's lifeline to support its war chest since the invasion of Ukraine as Washington continues to tighten the screws on Moscow with more sanc