China-Russia ties ‘conducive to peace’, Xi Jinping to Vladimir Putin
Russian President tells Chinese counterpart the two countries’ relations were ‘stabilising factors in the international arena’.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping hailed ties with Russia as “conducive to peace” and pledged to strengthen co-operation as he hosted Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Thursday.
It is Putin’s first trip abroad since his March re-election and the second in just over six months to China, an economic lifeline for Russia after the West hit it with unprecedented sanctions over its military offensive in Ukraine.
Putin, who is seeking greater support from China for his war effort and isolated economy, was greeted by Mr Xi at a grand welcoming ceremony outside central Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
The national anthems of both countries and martial tunes played as the two leaders met, kicking off a two-day visit by Putin that is expected to see the countries deepen a relationship they have declared has “no limits”.
In a meeting, Mr Xi then told his “old friend” Putin that “China-Russia relations (are) not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries ... but also conducive to peace”, according to a readout from Beijing’s foreign ministry.
“China is ready to work with Russia to ... uphold fairness and justice in the world. The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it.”
The Russian President, in turn, told Mr Xi the two countries’ relations were “stabilising factors in the international arena”. “Relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and not directed against anyone,” Putin said.
The Russian leader’s arrival came hours after he hailed his country’s troops for advancing on “all fronts” on the battlefield in Ukraine, following a new ground assault. Putin has been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court, which in March last year issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president.
Xi, who returned last week from a three-nation tour of Europe, has rebuffed Western criticism of his country’s ties with Moscow, enjoying cheap Russian energy imports and access to vast natural resources, including steady gas shipments via the Power of Siberia pipeline.
“This is Putin’s first trip after his inauguration, and it is therefore intended to show that Sino-Russian relations are moving up another level,” said independent Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev. “Not to mention the visibly sincere personal friendship between the two leaders.”
But as the economic partnership comes under close scrutiny in the West, Chinese banks fearing US sanctions that might cut them off from the global financial system have begun turning the screws on Russian businesses.
Putin, in an interview published in Xinhua ahead of his visit, hailed Beijing’s “genuine desire” to help resolve the Ukraine crisis.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met Mr Xi in Beijing last month, warned China’s support for Russia’s “brutal war of aggression” in Ukraine had helped Russia ramp up production of rockets, drones and tanks – while stopping short of direct arms exports. China claims to be a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict and the foreign ministry in Beijing said the two leaders would exchange views on “bilateral ties, co-operation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common interest”.
China-Russia trade has boomed since the Ukraine war and hit $US240bn ($359bn) last year. But after Washington vowed to go after financial institutions that facilitate Moscow, Chinese exports to Russia dipped during March and April, down from a surge early in the year.
An executive order by President Joe Biden in December permits secondary sanctions on foreign banks that deal with Russia’s war machine, allowing the US Treasury to cut them out of the dollar-led global financial system.
That, coupled with efforts to rebuild fractured ties with the US, may make Beijing reluctant to openly push more co-operation with Russia – despite what Moscow may want, analysts said.
AFP
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