The two “best friends”, as they like to call themselves, perhaps more than ever on the same wavelength. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin defended the Beijing-Moscow axis this Thursday, May 16, as a factor of “stability” and “peace” in the world, while the Russian head of state is in China for his first visit to China. State since his re-election last March.
The China-Russia relationship “is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but it is also conducive to peace,” Xi Jinping insisted. And “China is ready to work with Russia to […] “The China-Russia relationship today has been hard-won and both sides should cherish and nurture it,” he added.
This relationship is “a factor of stability on the international scene”, assured Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin. It “is not opportunistic and it is not directed against anyone”. “Together we support the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law,” he said. After their bilateral meeting, the two men signed a joint communiqué to deepen the Sino-Russian “comprehensive strategic partnership”, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
China and Russia tackle the West
Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday morning for a two-day visit, his second trip to China in just over six months, and his fourth since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. Barely a few hours earlier, he had welcomed the advances of the Russian army on the front, while Moscow’s forces launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region.
In their joint statement Thursday, Beijing and Moscow consider it “necessary” to avoid any decision contributing “to the prolongation of hostilities and a further escalation of the conflict.” A formulation which seems to target Europeans and Americans, with China and Russia regularly asserting that it is the deliveries of Western arms to Ukraine which are prolonging the war.
Speaking to the press alongside Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was “grateful” to China for its peace “initiatives” in the Ukrainian crisis, according to Russian agencies. China, which has never condemned the Russian invasion, regularly calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries (implying Ukraine included) but also urges consideration of Russian security concerns. “Both sides agree that a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine is the way forward,” Xi Jinping added. “China hopes that peace and stability will be quickly restored to the European continent and will continue to play a constructive role to this end,” he promised.
Furthermore, Vladimir Putin judged any “closed” political and military alliance in the Asia-Pacific to be “harmful”, where his Chinese partner is in competition with the United States, which cooperates with Australia and the United Kingdom to counter the the influence of Beijing.
“Deepening economic cooperation”
Another very important subject of Putin’s visit to Beijing: trade relations between the two countries. China is the crucial economic lifeline for Russia, plagued by heavy Western sanctions. Having just returned from a tour of Europe, Xi Jinping defended the right to maintain normal economic ties with his Russian neighbor. China benefits in particular from cheap Russian energy imports. Trade between Beijing and Moscow is also higher than ever, having reached almost $240 million in 2023, almost twice as high as before the start of the war in Ukraine.
On this subject, the Russian president met this Thursday with Prime Minister Li Qiant. The latter declared that Beijing wanted to “continue to deepen cooperation in various fields” with Moscow. Vladimir Putin spoke at the start of the week in an interview with an official Chinese press agency of wanting to develop closer cooperation “in industry and high technology, outer space and the peaceful atom, artificial intelligence , renewable energies and other innovative sectors.
The importance of American sanctions
These close Sino-Russian ties are viewed with growing suspicion in the West. Washington has set a red line for Beijing – not directly supplying weapons to Moscow – and says it has to date not had proof to the contrary. The United States, however, believes that Chinese economic support still allows Russia to strengthen its production of missiles, drones and tanks.
If the dynamic of trade has been constantly increasing in recent years, a certain shift seems to have taken place in recent months. Chinese exports to neighboring Russia fell in March and April, after the threat of American sanctions. At issue is a decree signed in December by US President Joe Biden, which now authorizes secondary sanctions against foreign banks linked to the Russian war machine. The US Treasury can exclude them from the global financial system, based on the dollar. Faced with these pressures, several Chinese banks have interrupted or reduced their transactions with their Russian clients, according to eight nationals of the two countries involved in bilateral trade.
Despite everything, Moscow and Beijing signed several trade agreements on Thursday. This Friday, Vladimir Putin is also due to go to the city of Harbin, in the north-east of China, to visit a fair dedicated to trade and investments.