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China rolls out the red carpet for dictator Putin despite his war in Ukraine as President Xi looks to build ties with Russia and claim 'geopolitical supremacy over America'
China is set 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 is set to visit Beijing on Thursday, marking 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 highlight the pairs 'no limit' partnership - which the men toasted to in February 2022 as a stark counterweight to the global influence of the United States.
Xi and Putin's partnership has increasingly come under pressure as the Biden administration sought to isolate Russia from its vital Chinese lifeline after Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, which began later in the same month.
The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Putin's trip on Tuesday, saying Xi and Putin would exchange views on ties and 'international and regional issues of common concern'.
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 is set to visit Beijing on Thursday, marking the start of his new presidential term
Despite the pair's 'no limits' partnership, China has so far avoided providing weapons and ammunitions for Russia's war effort
While diplomats and analysts expect Putin to push Xi for further support for Russia's war economy, from machines and chemicals to help its military industries to more discounted oil and gas purchases, Putin's trip is likely to be heavily symbolic of a shared world view centered on countering 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 is going to change that no matter what the West tries to say or do,' a Russian official said.
Other analysts have said that the Xi and Putin meeting carries weight in itself as: 'The very act of receiving Putin by Beijing - on its own - is already a form of support to Russia since China is the sole major country left that has not isolated Moscow,' said James Char, a security scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
'China needs to have Russia on its side to subvert the US-led world order and in its long-term struggle with the US for geopolitical supremacy.'
Pressure is continuing to mount on Beijing from Washington over its alleged support for Russia's defence industry, but Xi has ramped up his calls for Europe and other countries to help the world avoid a 'Cold War,' suggesting they resist what Beijing sees as US efforts to contain China.
Putin's arrival follows a mission to Beijing late last month from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in part to warn China's top diplomat Wang Yi against deepening military support for Russia.
During his meeting with the Chinese leader, Blinken emphasised the importance of 'responsibly managing' the differences between the United States and China.
Blinken said he raised concerns with Xi about China's support for Russia and its 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
Xi and Putin's partnership has increasingly come under pressure as the Biden administration sought to isolate Russia from its vital Chinese lifeline after Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine
But despite the 'no limits' friendship between Xi and the Russian leader, China has so far avoided providing weapons and ammunitions for Russia's war effort.
'I'm sure Putin would like to have China's help in getting Russia over the line in Ukraine,' said Alexander Neill, a Singapore-based defence analyst.
'What more China can do without incurring action from Washington will be a very closely scrutinised element of this mission,' said Neill.
Analysts in China and Russia said that while Beijing would prefer a quick end to the conflict in Ukraine, it would tolerate the war, regardless, and continue to prioritise trade and diplomatic relations with Moscow over the west.
Russia, which has showed no signs of abandoning the war, will become increasingly dependent on China as a trade partner and as 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 the highest level ever, and despite the difficult global situation continue to get stronger.'
Putin hailed the 'great prospects' of the countries' partnership and their joint efforts to 'strengthen the sovereignty, protect the territorial integrity and security of our countries.'
The leaders aimed to deepen cooperation in 'industry and high-tech, outer space and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovative sectors,' Putin added.
French President Emmanuel Macron (C-L) and his wife Brigitte Macron (L), Chinese President's wife Peng Liyuan (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (C-R) have a drink in a restaurant at the Tourmalet Pass in the Pyrenees mountains, France, May 7, 2024
The meeting comes just two weeks after the Chinese leader landed in France for a controversial state visit in which French leader Emmanuel Macron attempted to convince his counterpart to use his influence on Putin to move towards the end of the war in Ukraine.
Macron, initially joined initially 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 all it could to end the war.
Xi, for his part, warned the West not to 'smear' China over the conflict and also hit back at accusations that Chinese overcapacity was causing global trade imbalances.
After a bilateral meeting with Xi, Macron welcomed China's 'commitments' not to supply arms to Russia, while also expressing concern over possible deliveries of dual-use technology.
He thanked Xi for backing his idea of a truce in all conflicts including Ukraine during the Paris Olympics this summer and pointedly added that France was not seeking 'regime change' in Russia.