China became Russia's sole supplier of gallium, germanium, and stibium, chemical substances needed to produce weapons, including nuclear ones, after the introduction of EU and U.S. sanctions in 2022,

While elected on an America-first, isolationist platform, freshly reinstalled U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have quickly homed in on Latin America. The interactions hitting the headlines have not been positive.

With Western sanctions cutting off supplies, China has become Russia’s sole source of critical minerals used in weapons production—including nuclear arms—deepening concerns over Beijing’s support for Moscow’s war effort.

Beijing has sought to push back on Western criticism over those debts. Mutasim Ali, a legal adviser at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, a Canadian NGO, told CNN that in his view, Russia and China tend to share a common trait in their dealings ...

“Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in global affairs.” Xi similarly praised close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, saying it helps “bring positive energy to reforming and developing the global system.

An investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes has found that companies at least partially owned by the Chinese state are feeding critical minerals to Russian suppliers to manufacturers of weapons the Kremlin has used to pummel Ukraine since its all-out invasion nearly three years ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday that Moscow and Beijing's foreign policy ties played a stabilising role in international affairs.

China's President Xi Jinping spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin over video call on Tuesday, Chinese national broadcaster CCTV said.

The treaties with Iran and Belarus are different from the one Russia reached with North Korea, and there has been no attempt to link any of them.

If Western support falters, Ukraine’s reserves of rare earth minerals will be left at the mercy of Russia and China. The global economy is growing more and more dependent on critical minerals—resources vital for technological advancement,

Asked about sensitive topics, the bot would begin to answer, then stop and delete its own work. It refused to answer questions like: “Who is Xi Jinping?”

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th