Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that he expects a new impetus in Sino-Russian relations from his visit to Moscow and that Beijing is ready to work with Russia to defend a world order based on international law, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Xi Jinping recently arrived in Moscow, where he is expected to push for Beijing’s role as a potential peacekeeper in the Ukraine conflict, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping for support against Western pressure.

Xi will be the first leader to shake Putin’s hand after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Friday for him for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia after his invasion.

Moscow said the indictment was one of a series of “clearly hostile developments” and Beijing said it reflected double standards.

Russia presents Xi’s trip, his first trip since an unprecedented third term this month, as proof that it has a powerful friend ready to back it up against a hostile West that it accuses of trying to isolate and lead Moscow to defeat.

“We feel that the geopolitical landscape is undergoing dramatic changes,” Putin said in an article in the People’s Daily published on the Kremlin’s website, adding that he had high hopes for the visit of his “good old friend.”

For Xi, this visit is a diplomatic stunt.

The United States and its Western allies are deeply wary of China’s motives, noting that it has refused to condemn Russia and provided it with economic aid.

Source: Reuters.