Beijing (China), 2 September (LaPresse/AP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as an “old friend” at the start of a series of meetings on Tuesday, at a time when their countries face overlapping and different challenges from the United States. Relations between China and Russia have deepened in recent years, particularly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.After the formal talks, they scheduled another meeting for tea with some of their top aides. The talks took place the day after both attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the nearby Chinese city of Tianjin and the day before a major Chinese military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.