Putin, Xi initiate projects in show of warming ties

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have joined in a videoconference to initiate a series of nuclear energy projects, an event intended to display warming ties between two nations that are the chief geopolitical rivals to the United States.

Chinese state media showed Xi and Putin greeting each other via video link and announcing the start of construction of Russia-designed reactors at two Chinese nuclear power plants.

China has being seeking to reduce its reliance on coal for electricity, but the political aspects of the event were as important as the economic implications.

Moscow and Beijing have closely aligned their foreign policies, particularly when it comes to opposing U.S. calls for political liberalization and humanitarian interventions.