As the two men began a series of meetings in Beijing thought to be a message of defiance and strength to Western powers, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as an “old friend.” Putin added that their countries’ ties were at an “unprecedented level.”
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s rampant tariff increases and the two allies’ sharp disagreements with one another, the two countries are at odds with one another.
Putin praised Moscow’s strengthening ties with Beijing on Tuesday while addressing Xi as a “dear friend.” They planned to have another meeting with some of their top aides over tea in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People following their formal discussions.
The discussions take place in Tianjin, a city in China, one day after both attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Moscow and Beijing have endorsed the SCO as a counterweight to Western-led alliances, with Putin claiming that the world needs a “system that would replace obsolete Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models.”
Putin is expected to “sign 20 agreements increasing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow,” according to Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, who is based in Beijing. It appears that Putin and Xi have a very warm, sincere relationship, according to Yu, adding that neither the US nor Western European leaders have had any negative impact on their friendship.
In recent years, China and Russia have bolstered their ties, particularly with regard to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the early 2022.
China maintains trade despite Western sanctions, but claims to be neutral in the Ukraine war. However, it has also provided an economic lifeline to Russia by continuing to trade. Some of its businesses have been accused of supporting the military.
The two leaders’ discussions come one day before a massive Chinese military parade in Beijing to commemorate both Japan’s victory and World War II’s climax.
Around 20 world leaders will be present, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who state media claim he entered China before his planned visit.
Although the former Soviet Union was neutral during the majority of the war in Asia, China was helped by its earlier support for Japanese forces in the 1930s. In the final days of World War II, Japan was also at war and troops were sent over the border into northeastern China from Japan.
China hopes to convey a message to the West through this military parade, Yu said. The point China wants to make by rolling out the red carpet for them is that they are not isolated, that they do have friends and do have power, Yu said, adding that many of the leaders attending this parade “have been styled by the US, by the Trump administration as outcasts, as weak, as pariahs.”
The SCO meeting has demonstrated how to support a new global order and demonstrate solidarity among the world’s citizens. Chinese President Xi Jinping made remarks that were widely perceived as criticism of the US that “global governance has reached a new crossroads.”
Before their Tuesday meeting, Putin and Xi had a trilateral meeting with Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. Between the two giants are his grasslands-strewn, mineral-mined land, and his landlocked nation.
In his opening remarks, Putin stated that the three nations share a desire to develop ties and are good neighbors. He claimed that “our three nations have a lot in common.”
China, Russia, and Mongolia should strengthen their solidarity and cooperation, and increase their mutual support, according to Xi in his own words.
Source: Aljazeera
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