BEIJING/NEW YORK -- The Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing is a low-lying gable-roofed complex surrounded by scenic pines and bamboo groves that in China's modern era has hosted guests of state from Henry Kissinger to Kim Jong Un. It was there, in the guesthouse's Fang Hua Yuan building, just after 3 p.m. on Feb. 4, that Chinese President Xi Jinping stood smiling to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping meet in Beijing on Feb. 4. Putin has reportedly asked Beijing for military support for his war on Ukraine, leaving Xi and the powers' "no limits" partnership at a crossroads. © AP
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