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Putin and Xi say ties are at ‘unprecedented’ high at friendly summit after Trump visit

China-Russia relations are at a “historic high,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Wednesday, as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing days after hosting U.S. President Donald Trump.

© Alexander Kazakov

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.

© Kremlin Press Service

Putin and Xi in Beijing on Wednesday.
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Goodbye Trump, hello Putin: China’s Xi welcomes Russian leader facing pressure at home

Vladimir Putin landed in China on Tuesday to a warm welcome from his “dear friend” President Xi Jinping, but he arrived with the heavy burden of a war he increasingly seems unable to win.

© Mark Schiefelbein

During Trump's visit, Xi described the relationship between the U.S. and China as the world's most important.

© Tatyana Makeyeva

Ukraine’s increasingly effective drone arsenal is taking a mounting toll on Russia.
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As Hormuz crisis rattles the world, eyes are on another key waterway

As the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz drags on, guardians of another critical waterway are worried about the precedent it sets for any future clash between the United States and China.

© Rex Wholster

Ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Singapore.

© Muhammed Ali Yigit

Ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Singapore.
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Young Chinese facing ‘life pressure’ resist government push to boost marriage rate

The streets around Beijing’s iconic Forbidden City are often filled with brides and grooms, posing for wedding photos against auspicious red backdrops in a place that strongly reflects Chinese culture and tradition.

© Wang Chun

A medical worker taking care of a baby at a hospital in Lianyungang, in east China's Jiangsu province, in October.

© Fred Dufour

A university in Beijing where students enrolled for China’s first marriage-related degree program in March 2025.

© Fred Dufour

Both marriage and parenthood appear to be losing appeal to young Chinese as they fret over fierce job competition, slowing economic growth and a lack of work-life balance.

© Fred Dufour

A bride poses during a wedding photo shoot near the Forbidden City in Beijing in March 2025.
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