China’s Xi, Russia’s Putin to hold virtual summit Wednesday

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are holding a virtual summit this week to discuss bilateral relations and international issues. The talks come amid tensions between Moscow and the West over the massing of tens of thousands of Russian troops near its border with Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no specific topics and said details would be released after Wednesday’s video meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin during a call last week that Russia would face painful sanctions that will do resounding economic harm if it invaded again Ukraine. In recent years, China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to counter U.S. domination of the international order.