Putin hails ties with China as autocrats arrive in Beijing for show of military might

Vladimir Putin has hailed Russia's "unprecedentedly" high level of ties with China, as dozens of leaders, including the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing on the eve of a massive military parade intended to showcase a Chinese-led global order.

- Amy Hawkins

Putin called China's leader, Xi Jinping, a "dear friend" after the two held talks at the Great Hall of the People and then at Xi's personal residence. "Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level," Putin told Xi, according to a video on the Kremlin's Telegram channel. "We were always together then, and we remain together now."

Putin, described by Xi yesterday as his "old friend," is the most prominent of a roster of autocrats who have gathered in China this week for a double bill of events designed to project the might of the world's second-largest economy and geopolitical rival to the US.

Hours after the Putin-Xi talks, Kim arrived in China in an armored train accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who was making her international debut after years of being seen next to him at major domestic events.

She is considered by South Korean intelligence to be her father's most likely successor.

A Kremlin aide told the Russian Interfax news agency that Putin was likely to hold talks with Kim today.