Putin and Xi to meet as Belt and Road summit starts

BBC LIVE Summary

Xi Jinping is scheduled to address the Belt and Road Summit in Beijing with Vladimir Putin in attendance.

The two leaders are due to hold a bilateral meeting as Russia's invasion of Ukraine leaves Putin increasingly isolated.

Putin's rare overseas trip to Beijing underscores the strength of the alliance between Russia and China.

Xi is expected to chart the way forward for BRI, which he has positioned as an alternative to Western-led development.

China has kept the details of the BRI summit largely under wraps.

The trillion-dollar BRI aims to bring China closer to the world through infrastructure and investments.

More than 145 countries have signed up, accounting for three-quarters of the world's population and half of the globe's total wealth.

/MHK/