Chinese president Xi Jinping warned against resuming military operations in the Middle East as he held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing on WednesdayThe talks between the two leaders, which aim to reinforce bilateral ties in the shadow of wars in Ukraine and Iran, included the Middle East, state news agency Xinhua reported, with Xi adding urgency to his earlier calls for a ceasefire in a conflict that started with the US-Israeli bombing of Iran and then spread across the region. Hours earlier, US president Donald Trump threatened to resume strikes on Iran in the coming days as part of the push for a deal to end the war.“A comprehensive ceasefire is imperative, restarting war is even more unacceptable, and adhering to negotiations is particularly important,” Xi said.The leaders of Russia and China – two of the biggest backers of Iran – are meeting a day after Trump said he would hold off on a new bombardment of Iran planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf allies.The comments are increasingly raising the prospect of a return to active hostilities with Iran, which has so far refused to bow to Trump’s demands to relinquish the remaining elements of its nuclear programme after weeks of strikes that began in late February.Earlier on Tuesday, Xi welcomed Putin outside the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square, giving him the same treatment received days earlier by Trump. A 21-gun salute rang out as a military band played their two national anthems, while dozens of children holding Russian and Chinese flags greeted them and shouted, “Welcome, welcome.”In his opening remarks before the talks, Putin told Xi that the Russian-Chinese relations are at an unprecedented high level and a model of partnership.Calling Xi a “dear friend,” Putin said Russia remains a reliable supplier of energy to China. “In the current tense situation on the international stage, our close co-operation is especially needed,” he said.The Chinese president said their ties have developed because both sides work on deepening political trust and strategic co-ordination.“China and Russia should focus on long-term strategies and promote the development and revitalisation of their respective countries,” said Xi, according to China Central Television. He added that their nations should also “build a more just and reasonable global governance system” in the face of “rampant unilateral hegemony”, the state broadcaster reported, making what appeared to be a veiled swipe at the US.Putin and Xi share a strong bond and a common desire for a multipolar world order to challenge US global dominance. China’s foreign ministry said it was the Russian leader’s 25th visit to the country.Timed to mark the 25th anniversary of a friendship and co-operation treaty between Russia and China, Putin’s visit comes hard on the heels of Xi’s summit with Trump in Beijing last week.Topics on the agenda at the talks between Russia and China include the planned Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project, according to the Kremlin. The two sides plan to sign about 40 documents, according to a Kremline foreign policy aide.Among the results that will probably come out of the summit is a joint statement on further strengthening the partnership and strategic co-operation between China and Russia, Tass reported. Besides his planned discussions with Xi, Putin will also hold separate talks with Chinese premier Li Qiang.Russia hopes the turmoil in energy markets from the Middle East conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz will make China more flexible in negotiations on a contract for gas prices for the project.Chinese state media highlighted potential areas for co-operation from energy, agriculture, science and tech to space and artificial intelligence. Top Russian government officials and heads of major companies from Gazprom PJSC to Rosatom and Roscosmos are part of the visiting delegation.With its economy under growing strain, Russia is heavily reliant on trade with China to weaken the impact of western sanctions over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that is in its fifth year. Russia is importing more than 90 per cent of its sanctioned technology through China, Bloomberg News reported.China has denied that it has provided weapons to any parties of the Ukraine conflict, saying it strictly controls exports of dual-use articles. – Bloomberg