Russia and China have signed several agreements to strengthen cooperation between the countries. Three areas will be the focus of the two countries’ cooperation in the future: trade in electronics, raw materials and energy. Among other things, they are said to have discussed the proposal for a new natural gas pipeline between Russia and China.
In addition to trade agreements, the war in Ukraine has drawn a lot of attention to the meeting between Xi and Putin.
China’s peace proposal
China says it has drawn up a twelve-point peace plan to resolve Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Among other things, the points contain proposals that call for dialogue and respect for the territorial sovereignty of all countries. What exactly this means for the occupied territories in Ukraine is unclear, but Putin says in a statement that he believes the proposals could be a “foundation for a solution – when the West is ready for it”.
– We believe that many of the points in the Chinese peace plan agree with the approach of the Russian Federation. Many of these proposals could be implemented in the West and in Kiev, says Putin.
Criticism of China’s neutrality
That it is Russia that attacked Ukraine was not mentioned in the joint statements. Xi Jinping, on the other hand, said that China is neutral when it comes to the war in Ukraine and that China will stand “on the right side of history”.
China’s neutrality and peace plan, on the other hand, are questioned by the United States. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, among other things, that the fact that Xi Jinping’s visit takes place just days after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin “shows that China does not feel any responsibility to hold Putin accountable for the atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine.”
Rather, China is now giving Russia a diplomatic alibi to be able to continue committing war crimes in Ukraine, says Blinken.