Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow after 3-day visit

FILE Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin enter a hall for talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on June 5, 2019. The Chinese government said Xi would visit Moscow from March 20, to March 22, 2023, but gave no indication when he would depart. Xi was due to arrive at midday and meet Putin later in the day, according to the Russian government. AP Photo Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File ASSOCIATED PRESS MOSCOW AP - Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday after a three-day visit that gave a boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin as fighting in Ukraine continues.

China and Russia have described Xi's trip as part of an effort to deepen their no-limits friendship. The Russians welcomed China's peace plan for Ukraine and said there would be discussions between Putin and Xi that will begin over dinner on Monday.

Beijing called for a cease-fire, but Washington strongly rejected the idea as the effective ratification of the Kremlin's battlefield gains.

Xi's trip to Russia came after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Putin's arrest on war crimes charges. The Kremlin, which doesn't recognize the authority of the ICC, has rejected its move as legally null and void. China's foreign ministry on Monday called for the ICC to respect the immunity of a head of state and not to politicize and double standards. China sees Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy and as a partner in opposing American domination of global affairs.