In a bid to strengthen ties betweenRussia and China, re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Beijing this Thursday for a two-day visit, amidst gradual Russian expansion into Ukraine and recent American tariffs on Chinese imports.
In his fourth visit to China since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin was greeted with an elaborate sweeping gesture of welcome and alliance by Xi Jinping, Chairman of China, replete with a red carpet reception towards the Great Hall of the People alongside the march of the Red Army Choir.
Alongside a pledge to further strengthen their military ties, both nations have also condemned what they considered rising aggression from the American end due to the heavy tariffs levied on Chinese imports in a bid to protect American workers.
A joint statement accounted for a host of topics such as trade, global and national security, and energy, also in regard to American advances such as high-precision non-nuclear weapons and its missile-based defence that put both China and Russia under threat in their views.
“Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law,” said Putin in conversation with Xi.
The union becomes especially significant given the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken’s visit to China 2 weeks ago. In a bid to backtrack Chinese support for Russia through the transport of weaponry and dual-use products, Blinken’s visit was met with steady defiance as Wang Webin restated China’s stance in regard to the issue:
“Let me stress again that China’s right to conduct normal trade and economic exchanges with Russia and other countries in the world on the basis of equality and mutual benefit should not be interfered with or disrupted,” – was Wang’s statement, as per the Beijing Youth Daily – “China’s legitimate and lawful rights and interests should not be infringed on.”
In such a scenario, the Putin-Xi meet is no less than a barb highlighting the unsuccessfulness of Blinken’s visit. Furthermore, despite mounting international pressure on both countries, Putin confirmed the discussion over the war in Ukraine with Xi in later informal talks.
Given official Chinese neutrality towards the Russia-Ukraine war, Xi’s continued attempts to improve relations with Europe come with the unwillingness to renounce the Chinese partnership with Russia, wherein both countries express their similar worldviews through the decree of a remnant “Cold War mentality” and unbalanced dynamics tipped unfairly towards the U.S.A.
Apart from the talks in Beijing, both leaders are to celebrate a ‘gala’ underscoring 75 years of diplomacy, hailing their alliance as “one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena”.
Even so, American pressure on both nations did seem to have certain impacts, as proven by the falling Chinese exports to Russia in March, and the slowing progress on the already delayed Power of Siberia-2 pipelines. Further negotiations have also been subject to delay due to disagreements between Beijing and Moscow.
Nevertheless, the increasing economic interdependence between both nations, amidst international pressure underscores the need for improved economic and military, which paints a picture of only increasing mutual dependence.
