from berlin. tonight, two leaders and their new special relationship. china's xi jinping and russia's vladimir putin bowstring economic ties, further closing ranks against the west and china's provision -- position on ukraine is unchanged. also coming up, uganda approving legislation and targets transgender people. if anyone in the country now

identifies publicly as lgbtq they could go to prison for up to 10 years. and in football, germany starting a new era after the world cup. six new players, five could have played further nations, but they chose hans instead. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and 12 you around the world, welcome. the leaders of china and russia are hailing a new era in relations following a second they of talks in moscow. just a short time negotiation ping and vladimir putin signed a deal to expand bilateral trade ties giving vladimir putin what western sanctions are designed to deny him of -- cash to fund his war in ukraine. reporter: trying to put on the most reassuring smiles.

chinese president xi jinping and his russian counterpart, vladimir putin, pledged to strengthen ties. putin, increasingly isolated by the west for his you -- for his invasion of ukraine, is forced to turn east for a friendly handshake. >> on the issue of the ukrainian crisis, china has always adhered to the purpose and principles of the united nations charter. adhered to an injective -- objective and impartial -- actively promoted peace and negotiations. reporter: beijing's refusal to condemn the war on ukraine has been the driving force of this friendship. instead, xi has proposed a so-called peace plan, handing his counterpart the opportunity to blame the west and ukraine. >> we believe that many of the provisions in the peace plan put forward by china are consistent with russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a

peaceful settlement. when they are ready for it in the west and in kyiv. however, so far we have not seen such readiness on their part. reporter: for putin, an alliance with xi also offers a chance to close the gap left by the withdrawal of western firms from russia following its war on ukraine. >> we are ready to support chinese businesses. when it comes to replacing the production of the western enterprises that have left russia. reporter: boasting a number of new deals on energy and trade, the autocratic duo promised a new era of partnership, one where china sees itself as a peace broker for russia and ukraine. brent: i am joined now by a

senior fellow at the munich security conference, an expert on russia and ukraine. he joins me tonight from london. it is good to have you on the program. let me ask you, what did we see today? we saw all these agreements being signed and our claims china and russia have become closer than ever before. is that what you are seeing? >> no. let's be honest here, this is no partnership. they really seem to need it if they have to ostensibly underline their friendship many times, but i think what we really see is china is buying russian energy cheaply, and china is promoting a plan that is not a peace plan because it does not contain the information that russia leaves the territory of ukraine. and if we talk about trade increasing, it is in fact

russian raw materials and resources selling to a much stronger china. brent: also china with these agreements is agreeing to buy more russian energy. that funds the russian war machine, doesn't it? so china after today is basically agreeing to co-finance the war in ukraine. is that an accurate assumption? nico: i think this has been true before disagreements, but yes, china is financing the war of russia against ukraine, which means that xi jinping was not saying the truth when he said that china is on the side of the united nations. it isn't. brent: so considering all of that, what do you think xi jinping's endgame is here? does he want to see this conflict in ukraine continue and to fester? what is in it for him? nico: for him, i think he is using the weak position putin

maneuvered himself into by getting cheap resources for the chinese economy because russia has no other option than to sell cheaply to china. at the same time, i think xi jinping is trying to balance between more coverts support for russia and at the same time not to be seen to openly support russia's war because he is afraid of stronger sanctions from the west. it is a delicate line of balance for xi, but at the same time, the main point has not been solved today or yesterday because peace is very easy to achieve. russia leaves ukraine and then we have peace, but china unfortunately was not pushing for that. brent: no, and we have had a lot of analysts who have said that maybe there is the possibility we could move closer to peace with china perhaps as a peace broker. they were also pointing to what we sow recently and that is this new agreement between saudi arabia and iran to recognize

each other diplomatically. has that all been wishful thinking? nico: yes, it has been. it was an allusion to believe china could play a constructive role in the organization of peace. china is just following its own interests. it is not a friend of russia. but they are united in the idea that they are working against the west and the united states. so that brings them together. but we cannot hope for china bringing peace to ukraine. if china would want that, it could push to move the russian forces out of ukraine. brent: and what about europe looking at all of this? we have a war in the middle of europe right now and much of the european union obviously supporting ukraine. but at the same time, it has incredibly important economic ties with china. is this dichotomy, is it an advantage for xi jinping?

nico: i would think we should not overestimate the pictures we saw yesterday and today. i think putin is very proud that after his arrest want to buy the icc that he now has an international visitor, an important one, who stays for three days. there is a lot of symbolism in that. but the fact is putin's war is not going well, which is a problem for him but also for china. so china has tried to make profit out of it and maybe destabilize putin, because china wants to have stability on its northern borders that it has with russia. but we should not overestimate this visit. this is not really changing the game. if we support ukraine further, ukraine has a good chance to liberate its territories. brent: the fact though that xi jinping is visiting vladimir putin right now, a week after vladimir putin, the icc issued an arrest warrant for vladimir putin for war crimes, they say you are judged by the company

you keep. and apparently xi jinping does not care what people think about mr. putin. nico: we have known before that china wants to change the international order. it wants to change the rules that we have developed after the second world war. and i think this visit just confirms it. china is not adhering to international law, and i think we should take that very seriously that xi jinping proceeded with this visit, and even stayed for three days with an alleged war criminal, or with someone who is even out with an arrest warrant. brent: you have to wonder what he will write on his postcard. mr. lange, we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. xi jinping and vladimir putin held their words very constructive talks yesterday and today, but as i discussed earlier with our correspondent nick connolly in kyiv, xi

jinping is not visiting ukraine. nick: not only that, but it also seems if a comment by president zelenskyy is anything to go by, there is not a date or a timing yet to this promised phone call between the ukrainian leader and his chinese counterpart, so even the composition prize is not necessarily a done deal. it is not so much a surprise for the ukrainians that the chinese leader would not come here to a country that is at war. all through this war china has been helping russia, has been helping russia get around western sanctions, has been buying up all that russian energy that is no longer going to europe. but they are really worried this could mark a change in the quality of the relationship between beijing and moscow, and they could see chinese-made weapons making their way to the front lines here. so far it has been more about chips, maybe some drones, but nothing on a large scale. china is basically the only country with the resources and the breadth to make a

difference to russia's ability to keep fighting in ukraine. brent: ukraine had another high-profile guest today, an unannounced one, japan's prime minister fumio kishida. what do you make of the timing of this visit? two major leaders from asia visiting, one russia, the other ukraine. nick: a lot has been made of that. lots of pundits convinced this is something that was to coincide with the chinese visit to moscow. it has to be said, there are a lot of caveats. these things take a lot of time. coming to kyiv is not as simple as getting on a plane. there are security concerns. a lot of skepticism as to whether that would be possible to make that happen on demand. but certainly it is said japan has upped its defense spending, is moving away from its more pacifist stance, and has sent a lot of money to ukraine for rebuilding, helped ukraine to

rework its energy system after the russian attacks on the electricity grid here. but it has to be said that this is not a visit comparable to the one we saw with moscow. japan just is not have the weapons-building capacity that even south korea has that can really help ukraine. i think it has become just a fact that this war is now so borden -- so important worldwide. brent: the geopolitical dividing lines becoming more clear. nick connolly in kyiv, thank you. in brussels, nato secretary-general jens stoltenberg today called for more ambitious spending targets to ensure continued support for ukraine. stoltenberg was present in the alliance's annual report which details key decisions on the war ukraine -- war in ukraine. he described russia as the biggest threat to security,

along with the threat of terrorism. >> president putin wants a different europe. he sees democracy and freedom as offense and wants to control his neighbors. so even if the war in ukraine ended tomorrow, the security environment has changed for the long-term. putin's invasion last year was a shock, but it was not a surprise. it was the culmination of a countdown of aggressive action. and in response, since russia's illegal annexation of crimea in 2014, nato has implemented the largest enforcement collected offense in a generation. brent: that was the head of nato speaking earlier today. let's take a look now at other stories making headlines around the world. russian authorities have raided homes and offices connected to the prominent russian human rights group memorial. we head of the group says he is being charged with discrediting russian military.

the raids marked the kremlin's latest crackdown on political dissent. thousands of kurds have taken to the streets in northern syria to protest the killing up four men during kurdish new year celebrations. the killing has rekindled tensions between the groups that control the area. taiwan's president will stop over in the u.s. en route to central america at the end of march. china says it is seriously concerned by these plans. they are not classified as an official visit. there are reports that president may need u.s. house speaker kevin mccarthy. germany's education minister has arrived in taiwan on a two day trip. the first german minister to make a visit to the island in more than 25 years. beijing, which regards taiwan as

part of his territory, has issued a diplomatic complaint to germany. reporter: a signing ceremony with scientists set the tone for occluded lit -- for a politically sensitive visit. they want the focus of the trip to be on technological cooperation. direct meetings with connotations are conspicuously not on the agenda. >> it is a great pleasure and honor for me to be the first minister heading it apartment to visit taiwan in 26 years. taiwan with its excellent research institutions is a highly esteemed partner. reporter: her host recognized the significance of the moment. >> her presence in taiwan is particularly moving. reporter: it also turned heads in beijing. china, which demands countries

do not have contact with taiwan, is serious. china condemns the egregious acts of the german official and has launched stern protests in beijing and berlin to press strong disapproval. -- to express strong disapproval. later, she was given a tour of an ancient temple and an opportunity to respond to china's criticism. she insisted that germany respects the one china principle. >> i am concentrated on being here and the responsibility for research and innovation. that is a normal visit we are doing here. we need partners worldwide to tackle the global challenges. so we are highly interested in research and innovation here in taiwan. reporter: before leaving, they stopped at a booth where the delegation was gifted a blessing card with the word "freedom" wr itten on it in chinese, a reminder that in taiwan every word and gesture carries with it added meaning.

brent: indonesia is a country that continues to use as best as in -- use asbestos in its building materials. it causes cancer. it's fibers are known to cause, among other conditions, lung cancer. despite this, indonesia remains among the top five asbestos importers in the world. reporter: it looks like a harmless piece of rubble but it is as deadly as a dangerous virus. the material these men are collecting is called asbestos, and you can find in almost every indonesianillage. for over a decade, they have been trying to educate villagers about the dangers involved in using this building material. >> so, listen, we will start

collecting the asbestos in this area. remember, the small pieces of the most dangerous ones. where is the water team? reporter: the team is crucial. before picking up the pieces they have to be sprinkled with water. this prevents the fine fibers from getting into the air. if inhaled, the fibers can be highly carcinogenic. the substance has been banned in over 70 countries. it is most dangerous when being installed or taken down. but even today, they are still aware of the health risks. >> it is difficult to make the case this is a health threat. cantor can because by many things. so what exactly are the symptoms when exposed to asbestos? many doctors in malaysia do not know. we have a lot to clarify. reporter: they have experienced such ignorance.

she suffers from a lung disease caused by asbestos that cannot be cured and leads to cancer. she lost her job because of her illness after working for 20 years at an asbestos factory in indonesia. >> in 2012, it got worse because the cough did not heal. i went to the clinic to ask the doctor for a referral. the result was a positive x-ray for a lung disease but initially did not cite asbestos. reporter: six years later she was given the correct diagnosis. the problem is not likely to go away soon. the building material is very cheap and acts as a shield to the tropical heat. they have asked the government to stop importing asbestos since 2012. >> because asbestos is largely imported, various agencies from customs, the ministry of trade,

industry, the environment history are involved. each department throws the response ability to the other. reporter: today indonesia is still the fourth largest importer of asbestos in the world. until people educated about its dangers, little will change. the pieces they have collected today will some plebe be buried in the ground. brent: uganda's parliament has voted to increase prison sentences for homosexual acts to a maximum of 10 years. laws against gay sex in uganda date back to the colonial era but this new legislation goes much further and criminalizes anyone who claims a gender identity other than male or female. public support for this new law in the conservative nation is reportedly high. a short while ago i spoke with

richard in come paula, an lgbtq rights activist and has spoken out about the concerns is community now has now that the law has become reality. richard: thank you so much for having me and good evening. it is unfortunate the lgbt i community in uganda finds itself at this moment where legislators have decided to come and allows us further, and also really pushing for harsher conditions. it has already become enacted in parliament. this shows how much bigotry and the lack of understanding by memories of parliament to understand that og bt -- brent: the politicians in

parliament say that public support for these measures, that public support is high. is that correct? richard: the public support all depends on who is saying what. but the fact of the matter is this issue has not been equally debated. the anti-side has dominated. they have all gone with fallacies. there is nothing concrete. if you look at the basis for which they are pushing for the bill, they say it is for the protection of children and their families. but year in, year out, we've seen cases of deferment of young girls has been the highest, but there is no legislation to protect those children. we find them saying

homosexuality is an issue. this issue has been weaponized against lgbtqi people. brent: you are saying that lesbians are also trying to make children homosexuals. that has become part of the conversation now, correct? richard: yeah, absolutely. this talk of recruitment has been something that has been growing, and it's something that we saw that was purported by mainly extremists, religious extremists, who started by saying this and that it was adopted as a talking point for anyone who is not lgbt in our country. brent: where is that thinking coming from? is it ugandan, is it homemade, or is this influence coming from

somewhere else, making people think that gays and lesbians are trying to hurt their children? richard: homophobia is the most foreign thing to our country, because we have always been peaceful. but if you really look at ugandan particular, in 2009 was then -- we saw all these sentiments were being planted and pushed back. american evangelist extremists came to our country and met our leaders and pushed this ideology of homosexuality being antifamily and after our children, and this was adopted by leaders. and we have seen this sentiment growing over time and it has been a talking point of lgbt activists -- of anti-lgbt

activists. brent: richard lusimbo, we appreciate your time tonight. thank you. germany's men's football team have met up for the first time since their humbling exit at the qatar world cup. coach tunzi flick has called up six new players as germany tries to revive former glory. reporter: another new start for germany. they are preparing for saturday's friendly against peru, their first game since being dumped out of the world cup. six new callups were all born in germany, but five of them have parents who hail from other countries. they were all eligible to play for other nations but have chosen germany, despite the sides recent troubles on the pitch. fans hope the fresh faces help put the team back on track ahead of germany hosting next year's european championship. >> i think we have good players.

we have the talent. but it does not work out like we want it to. and the players? they have to find each other. there are some new players now and some young ones. reporter: the 21-year-old defender plays for italian side milan. he has a cynical eyes father and finish mother but quickly opted for germany. another's parents come from kosovo. he has mainly played club football in austria and turkiye. >> of course we expect every player on the pitch to show passion and conviction in order to represent the colors of germany. i believe that if this passion can be shown on the pitch, then it will also be felt by the fans, and that is what we want to do. reporter: flick and new national team director rudy fuller hope being closer to -- the new call ups ready to do their bit.

brent: and finally they say age is just a number, right? it certainly is if you ask 75-year-old football coach roy, who has just been appointed as manager of english premier league team crystal palace until the end of the season. there he is. the former england boss is the former -- oldest coach in the history of the english top flight. he previously managed the south london side between 2017 and 2021. after a short break i will be back to take you through the day. stick around. we will be right back. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

ñtñf?o■ñ■■#ññ

>> it is 9:00 p.m. you're watching live from paris. these are top stories on france 24. following talks with the chinese president xi jinping in moscow president vladimir putin vladimir putin hails bilateral ties with beijing saying together they have unlimited possibilities. after his government survived two known confidence president macron seeks to calm anger over his pension reform plans. tomorrow he will give a televised interview. the former u.s. president donald trump cofa