CHINESE President Xi Jinping called for firm support in each other’s efforts to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests when he met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin yesterday.
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Tensions over the disputed waters between China and its neighbors were expected to hang over the G20 summit, which opens in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Sunday.
Last month, Duterte said he didn’t mind Secretary of State John Kerry but “had a feud with his gay ambassador – son of a bitch, I’m annoyed with that guy”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that there had been some “alignment” with US counterpart Barack Obama over Syria after talks in China, insisting the two sides could reach a deal soon.
The comments come as Turkey continues Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, with the self-declared aim of clearing terrorist elements from along its southern border, and as the USA continues to lead a coalition of countries, including Turkey, who are jointly fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
The two countries have become closer through military and trade cooperation in recent years after Moscow turned to China in the face of sanctions imposed by the West over Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. He said the United States “will cooperate with Turkish authorities to determine how we can make sure that those who carried out these activities are brought to justice”.
State Department officials have declined to elaborate on what the sticking points are preventing a deal, though the US official said the remaining differences revolved around how the plan would be implemented.
But the focus on climate quickly gave way to the failed Syria talks. Obama had said he planned to raise the issue in his first meeting with Duterte, but the Philippine leader insisted he was only listening to his own country’s people.
The failure to reach a deal is likely to heap pressure on Obama over his handling of the war in Syria. On opposing sides of many global issues, the US and Russian Federation are nonetheless trying to broker a deal to address the Syrian civil war and perhaps even partner militarily there.
Obama and Putin clarified the remaining gaps in the talks, which largely involve how the deal would be implemented, the official said.
The deal depends on the two sides agreeing to closer militarily coordination against extremist groups operating in Syria, something the Russians have long sought and the USA resisted.
To the frustration of the White House, these weighty matters seemed to be overshadowed by a made-for-social-media moment from Obama’s arrival at the airport.
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Obama was slated to leave China Monday evening, after a closing press conference.
