In a congratulatory message sent to his counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping said that China stood ready to deepen "practical cooperation" with Russia, which was among the first countries to recognise the PRC.

The bolstering of ties between the two neighbours comes amidst rising geopolitical tensions, with China expected to play a more prominent role in ceasefire talks surrounding the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders are expected to meet later this month at the BRICS Summit in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan.

In the second part of the programme, we talk about the latest developments in the Middle East, following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's launch of over 100 missiles at Israel.

9:05am-9:30am: 75 years of China-Russia ties

9:05am-9:30am: Josef Gregory Mahoney, Professor of Politics and International Relations, East China Normal University, Shanghai

9:05am-9:30am: Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa, EU-China analyst and Asia Global Fellow at the University of Hong Kong


9:30am-10:00am: Lebanon developments: on the verge of an all out war?

9:30am-10:00am: Kenneth Houston, Lecturer in International Relations and Global Affairs at Mahidol University’s International College, Thailand

9:30am-10:00am: James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

9:30am-10:00am: Prof. Dov Levin, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong