China is about to roll out the red carpet for tyrant leader Vladimir Putin despite his raging war in Ukraine, as President Xi looks to build his relationship with Russia and claim “geopolitical supremacy over America.”
The Russian president will visit Beijing on Thursday to mark the start of his new presidential term in a show of support from his most powerful political partner, Xi Jinping.
Putin’s two-day mission is expected to spotlight the pair’s “no limit” partnership — which the men toasted in February 2022 as a powerful counterbalance to the United States’ global influence.
The partnership between Xi and Putin has come under increasing strain as the Biden administration sought to isolate Russia from its vital Chinese lifeline following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which began later that same month.
China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Putin’s trip on Tuesday, saying Xi and Putin would exchange views on ties and “international and regional issues of common interest.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023. Putin will visit Beijing on Thursday, marking the start of his new presidential term
Despite the pair’s ‘no limit’ partnership, China has so far avoided supplying weapons and ammunition for the Russian war effort
While diplomats and analysts expect Putin to push Xi for further support for Russia’s war economy, from machinery and chemicals to help the military industry to cheaper oil and gas purchases, Putin’s trip is likely to be highly symbolic of a shared worldview which is aimed at combating Russia’s war economy. a US-led order.
“China is Russia’s strategic partner – this is the path chosen by the president of Russia and the leader of China – and nothing will change that, no matter what the West tries to say or do,” a Russian official said .
Other analysts have said that the Xi-Putin meeting carries weight in itself because: “Beijing’s act of hosting Putin is – in itself – a form of support for Russia, as China is the only major country is that has not yet been isolated. Moscow,” said James Char, a security scholar at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“China needs Russia on its side to undermine the US-led world order and in its long-running struggle with the US for geopolitical supremacy.”
Pressure continues to mount on Beijing from Washington over its alleged support for Russia’s defense industry, but Xi has stepped up calls for Europe and other countries to help the world avoid a ‘Cold War’, suggesting they oppose what Beijing sees as American efforts. to contain China.
Putin’s arrival follows a mission to Beijing late last month by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, partly to warn China’s top diplomat Wang Yi against deepening military support for Russia.
During his meeting with the Chinese leader, Blinken emphasized the importance of “responsibly dealing with” the differences between the United States and China.
Blinken said he had raised concerns with Xi about Chinese support for Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, as well as other issues including Taiwan and the South China Sea, human rights and the production and export of synthetic opioid precursors.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People late last month
The partnership between Xi and Putin has come under increasing strain as the Biden administration sought to isolate Russia from its vital Chinese lifeline following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine
But despite Xi’s “no-holds-barred” friendship with the Russian leader, China has so far avoided supplying weapons and ammunition for Russia’s war effort.
“I’m sure Putin would like China’s help to get Russia across the border into Ukraine,” said Alexander Neill, a Singapore-based defense analyst.
“What else China can do without action from Washington will be a very closely scrutinized part of this mission,” Neill said.
Analysts in China and Russia said that while Beijing would prefer a quick end to the conflict in Ukraine, it would tolerate the war anyway and would continue to prioritize trade and diplomatic ties with Moscow over the West .
Russia, which has shown no signs of giving up the war, will become increasingly dependent on China as a trading partner and a key diplomatic ally in its deepening conflict with the West.
It comes just a day after Putin praised economic ties between the two countries in an interview with Xinhua news agency.
He said: “Today, Russia-China relations have reached their highest level ever, and despite the difficult global situation, they are still growing stronger.”
Putin praised the “great prospects” of the partnership between the countries and their joint efforts to “strengthen sovereignty and protect the territorial integrity and security of our countries.”
The leaders wanted to deepen cooperation in “industry and high-tech, space and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovative sectors,” Putin added.
French President Emmanuel Macron (CL) and his wife Brigitte Macron (L), the wife of Chinese President Peng Liyuan (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (CR) have a drink in a restaurant at the Tourmalet Pass in the Pyrenees, France, May 7, 2024
The meeting comes just two weeks after the Chinese leader landed in France for a controversial state visit, with French leader Emmanuel Macron trying to convince his counterpart to use his influence with Putin to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.
Macron, initially joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urged Xi not to allow the export of any technology that could be used by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, and asked Beijing to do everything to do what he could to end the war.
Xi, in turn, warned the West against “smearing” China over the conflict and also hit back at accusations that Chinese overcapacity would lead to global trade imbalances.
After a bilateral meeting with Xi, Macron welcomed China’s “commitments” not to supply weapons to Russia, while also expressing concern over possible supplies of dual-use technology.
He thanked Xi for supporting his idea of a ceasefire in all conflicts, including Ukraine, at the Paris Olympics this summer, adding emphatically that France was not seeking “regime change” in Russia.