Xi Jinping left Moscow after his summit with Vladimir Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Moscow on Wednesday morning, ending a two-day visit to Russia, focused on strengthening ties with his President Vladimir Putin, Russian agencies reported.

• Read more: China underlines Xi ahead of Putin for “peaceful resolution” of conflict in Ukraine

• Read more: Xi says he ‘prioritises’ his ‘strategic’ relationship with Russia.

Xi’s plane took off from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after being greeted by an honor guard that played the Russian and Chinese national anthems, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

During the visit, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed the entry into a “new era” of their “special” relationship with the West, with the Russian president cautiously backing a Chinese plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

The summit was intended above all to demonstrate the solidity of relations between Russia and China, against the backdrop of heightened tensions between these countries and the West, in the absence of a breakthrough in Ukraine.

In a joint statement with a Cold War overview, the two leaders hit out at the West, accusing the US of “undermining” international security to maintain its “military advantage” and expressing their “concern” about the growing NATO presence in Asia.

Mr. Xi’s visit to Moscow was a major boost.

The Chinese president’s visit to Russia comes at a time when China has massively restructured its economy toward China in the face of Western sanctions.

Meanwhile, Mr Putin announced on Tuesday that he had signed a deal with Mr Xi on the massive Siberian Force 2 gas pipeline project, which would supply Russia with an additional 50 billion cubic meters of gas a year.

Treated as an outcast by the West since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Mr. Putin can be trusted to isolate Beijing: Mr. Xi has invited him to visit China this year.