Few relationships among world leaders have been portrayed as personally as that between President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Over the years, their rapport has been defined not only by summits and state visits, but also a growing catalogue of highly personal rituals involving food, birthday celebrations, sports events, boat rides and lakeside tea.
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That carefully cultivated friendship returns to the spotlight on Tuesday, when Putin arrives in Beijing for a two-day state visit, less than a week after US President Donald Trump wrapped up his own closely watched trip to China.
The visit comes at a moment of mounting geopolitical uncertainty. Relationships between Beijing, Moscow and Washington are growing more complicated, while talks to end the US-Israel war on Iran remain stalled and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine drags on.
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