SCMP: Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his “old friend” Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Thursday, at the start of the Russian leader’s state visit and reaffirmed China’s role as a trusted friend. 香港南華早報：週四，中國國家主席習近平在俄羅斯領導人對普丁進行國事訪問之際，歡迎他的「老朋友」普丁來到北京，並重申了中國作為值得信賴的朋友的角色.