Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin joined Wednesday in a videoconference to initiate a series of nuclear energy projects, an event intended to display warming ties between two nations that have paired-up as the chief geopolitical rivals to the United States. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and Putin greeting each other via video link and announcing the start of construction of Russia-designed reactors at China’s Tianwan and Xudapu nuclear power plants.
“Russian and Chinese professionals are setting in motion a truly signature, flagship joint project,” Putin said during the ceremony, describing the technology as “powerful state-of-the-art Russian-made nuclear reactors compliant with all the safety regulations and the highest of ecological standards.”
The projects are due to be completed by 2026 and 2028, thus “making a great contribution … to maintaining (China’s) energy security,” Putin said.
