PRC and Russia reaffirm ties as Trump and Zelenskyy clash

Plus, Trump vows additional 10% tariffs on PRC imports

Welcome back to What’s Happening in China, your weekly China brief.

I hope you’ve had a great week.

On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Sino-Russian ties, emphasizing that their countries share “long-term development strategies and foreign policies.” In a 95-minute video call on Monday—initiated by Putin—Xi said that the “two countries are true friends that share weal and woe,” while Putin stressed that “developing relations with China is a strategic choice made by Russia with a view to the long term; it is not an act of expediency, not affected by any temporary incidents, and not subject to interference by external factors.”

According to the readouts from both sides (PRC, Russia), Putin briefed Xi on the latest Russia-U.S. interactions, claiming that Xi “expressed his support for the dialogue initiated between Russia and the United States, as well as China’s readiness to help find ways to settle the Ukrainian conflict peacef…