Russia's Putin meets Xi Jinping in Beijing seeking support for war effort
- In Reports
- 12:19 PM, May 16, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, aiming to secure increased backing from China for his military campaign in Ukraine. Increasingly isolated internationally more than two years after launching a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, Putin is searching for military and financial support from Xi Jinping, to sustain his effort in the face of growing global sanctions and a war that his troops have been unable to win despite advantages in arms and numbers.
This is Putin's first journey abroad since his re-election in March and his second visit to China in slightly over six months. China serves as an economic lifeline for Russia, especially after facing unprecedented sanctions from the West due to its military actions in Ukraine.
Putin was greeted by Xi at a grand welcoming ceremony outside central Beijing's Great Hall of the People, footage by state broadcaster CCTV showed.
Putin praised Xi for helping to build a "strategic partnership" with Russia.
"It was the unprecedentedly high level of the strategic partnership between our countries that determined my choice of China as the first state that I would visit after taking office as president," Putin told China's Xinhua news agency.
The Russian leader's arrival comes after he praised his country's troops for advancing on "all fronts" in the Ukrainian battlefield, following a significant new ground offensive.
Xi, who recently concluded a three-nation tour of Europe, has dismissed Western criticism of his country's relationship with Moscow. China benefits from affordable Russian energy imports and access to extensive natural resources, including consistent gas deliveries through the Power of Siberia pipeline.
Prior to the trip, the Kremlin said Putin and Xi would "define key areas of development in Russian-Chinese cooperation, and exchange views on international and regional issues" during discussions on the "comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation" between their nations.
Ahead of Putin's trip, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov summed up the partnership between the two authoritarian nations, saying that Moscow and Beijing were "objectively interested in maintaining our lead in efforts to establish a more fair and democratic world order."
Putin, in an interview published in Xinhua ahead of his visit, hailed Beijing's "genuine desire" to help resolve the Ukraine crisis.
In meetings between Xi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month, the US diplomat warned Beijing over its support of Putin's "brutal war of aggression in Ukraine."
China asserts its neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, with the foreign ministry in Beijing stating that the two leaders will discuss "bilateral ties, cooperation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common interest".
Trade between China and Russia has surged since the Ukraine invasion, reaching $240 billion in 2023, as reported by Chinese customs data.
Following Washington's vow to target financial institutions aiding Moscow, Chinese exports to Russia experienced a decline during March and April, contrasting with the earlier surge in the year. President Joe Biden's executive order in December enables secondary sanctions on foreign banks engaging with Russia's military activities, empowering the US Treasury to exclude them from the dollar-dominated global financial network.
That, coupled with recent efforts to rebuild fractured ties with the United States, may make Beijing reluctant to openly push more cooperation with Russia -- despite what Moscow may want, analysts said.
In recent days, eight people engaged in cross-border trade between the two nations informed AFP that several Chinese banks have either halted or slowed down transactions with Russian clients.
According to Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre in Berlin, the banks are "operating on better-be-safe-than-sorry principles, which reduces the volume of transactions".
"Finding out whether the payments are related to the Russian military-industrial complex... is creating a considerable challenge for Chinese companies and banks," he told AFP.
Putin's journey to Beijing following his re-election mirrors Xi's visit to Russia after his reaffirmation as leader last year.
Experts expect this week's highly symbolic meeting to result in toasts to the "no limits" partnership, as well as some deals signed and pledges to increase trade.
According to the Kremlin, the two leaders are scheduled to sign a joint declaration after the discussions and participate in an evening event commemorating 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
In addition to meeting with President Xi Jinping, Putin will also talk with Premier Li Qiang, China's second-ranking official. Furthermore, he will travel to the northeastern city of Harbin to attend a trade and investment expo.
Image source: Reuters
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