Putin visits Harbin as China, Russia deepen 'new era' alliance

After declaring a "new era" partnership with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his state visit to China in Harbin. Harbin is the capital of China's Heilongjiang province which is on the border of Russia. There, he is laying a wreath at a monument to Soviet soldiers, attending a Russian-Chinese expo, and interacting with students at the Harbin Institute of Technology. That university was sanctioned by the US in 2020 for its alleged role in procurement for the Chinese military. On Thursday, Putin and Xi issued a 7,000 word joint statement to declare a "new era" partnership, saying Russia-China relations are experiencing "the best period in their history." The statement laid out how the two countries are aligned on a host of issues including Taiwan and Ukraine, while scolding the US: "Both sides... will strengthen coordination and cooperation to deal with the so-called ‘dual containment’ policy of the United States that is non-constructive and hostile towards China and Russia." Top of mind for Putin is economic reassurance from Xi as the war in Ukraine rages on. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports.