Sun Zhengcai
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2019, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands prior to their talks on the sideline of the 11th edition of the BRICS Summit, in Brasilia, Brazil. Putin and Xi have developed strong personal ties helping bolster a “strategic partnership” between the two former Communist rivals. (Ramil Sitdikov/Sputnik, Kremlin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Leaders of Russia and China tighten their grips, grow closer

By Vladimir Isachenkov And Ken Moritsugu Apr. 07, 2021 04:56 AM EDT