Putin visits China after Trump-Xi summit, Ukraine setbacks

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.

HONG KONG — Days after hosting President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is welcoming another big guest, with Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving Tuesday as Beijing seeks to project itself as a stabilizing force on the world stage.

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If Trump’s state visit last week was about managing ties between the superpowers, Putin’s is about reassuring a long-standing partner whose leader calls Xi a “dear friend.”

For Putin — whose two-day visit this week is his 25th to China as president — it is crucial to reaffirm ties with China amid an intractable war with Ukraine he seems increasingly unable to win, which is helping fuel rare signs of public dissatisfaction.