The dragon and the bear: Xi, Putin form power duo

Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS group leaders sumit in Fortaleza, Brazil, on July 15, 2014.

BEIJING: China's authoritarian President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin share similar views on issues from human rights to Mikhail Gorbachev, in an increasingly close personal relationship that mirrors their countries' converging interests.

 Putin arrives in Beijing on Sunday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit and his 10th meeting with Xi since the Chinese president took office in March last year, according to the Communist mouthpiece People's Daily.