President Xi holds a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held a video call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, stressing their strong mutual relations in the wake of Donald Trump's inauguration in the United States.

Both sides have made much of Xi and Putin's supposedly strong personal bond. In a New Year's message to Putin last month, Xi vowed to promote world peace and development. China and Russia have consistently moved forward hand-in-hand along the correct path of non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party.