Despite enormous pressure from the international community, Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing for a visit to Moscow to meet with his old friend, who has now become the world’s most wanted criminal, writes Politico.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his role in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. However, this does not stop Xi from going to Moscow.
According to Beijing’s leaders, the US, with the support of European countries, has blocked China’s path to world leadership, and China’s immediate neighbors, from Japan to India, are more skeptical than supportive. In anticipation of Xi’s visit, China’s state news agency Xinhua condemned the US’s desire to impose sanctions on China if it militarily supported Russia, and said that
the more the US tries to destroy China and Russia, the more they will support each other.
It is a view similar to that of the Kremlin.
Another aspect that is essential to the friendship between Xi and Putin is the relatively similar life experiences of the two presidents. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace researcher Alexander Gabuev said: «They’re just six months apart in terms of age. Their fathers both fought in World War II … Both men had hardships in their youths. Both have daughters. And they are both increasingly like an emperor and a tsar, equally obsessed with Color Revolutions.» The friendship of the two authoritative presidents began in 2013, when they both met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.
Several years later, Xi presented Putin with China’s first Friendship Medal.
The Chinese president told the media that Putin is his best friend and nothing will stop China from building relations with Russia. Xi has stuck to his word, even after Putin invaded Ukraine. Chinese officials have avoided condemning Russia and don’t even call the events in Ukraine a war, but they echo the Kremlin’s rhetoric that NATO’s desire to expand is to blame for the war.
At the moment, Beijing’s potential to supply Russia with weapons is causing concern in the West. Chinese companies have already supplied Russia with dual-use weapons and body armor purportedly intended for civilian use, but the same equipment is also known to be used by military and paramilitary organizations. Also, China and Russia regularly hold joint military exercises.
A series of deals are expected to be struck during Xi’s visit, and experts say the presidents will sign deals to boost trade, particularly in energy. It is also expected that
the document on China’s official position on the «Ukraine crisis» will be revised.
The document published in February includes references to the preservation of national sovereignty and the need to resume peace talks. At the same time, it reflects Russia’s stance of calling on military alliances to refrain from expansion, a thinly veiled criticism of US support for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
However, the most important goal is to strengthen the bond between countries. Ryan Hass, a researcher at the Brooking Institute think tank, stated: «For Xi, cementing Russia as China’s junior partner is fundamental to his vision of national rejuvenation.» This means that Putin’s fall is not in Beijing’s interest at all, and it will do everything to keep him in power.
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