Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, where he is due to meet his counterpart and “dear friend” Xi Jinping, on the occasion of a major multilateral summit which should be partly overshadowed by the current conflict between Israel and the Hamas.
The leader got off his plane, which landed shortly before 9:30 a.m. (local time) in the Chinese capital, noted an AFP journalist.
China is hosting until Wednesday representatives of some 130 countries for the “New Silk Roads” forum (also called “The Belt and Road” project), a major diplomatic event which should help strengthen its international stature.
A high-profile guest, Vladimir Putin is making his first trip to a major world power since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which helped isolate Russia from many other states.
“On October 18, 2023 in Beijing, on the sidelines of the third International Belt and Road Forum, discussions will take place between the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping,” said announced Moscow.
Beijing’s ascendancy over Moscow
The two men “will discuss in a friendly and frank manner […] urgent problems of bilateral practical cooperation and the international agenda,” explained Kremlin diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov.
Last March, Vladimir Putin received Xi Jinping and they showed their understanding, advocating a strengthening of economic and military cooperation to counter what they present as American hegemony.
Heavily sanctioned by the West because of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia has been seeking for several months to strengthen ties – economic, military or even in the energy field – which are already very good, with China, which seems to have taken the ascendant in their bilateral relations – unbalanced with the Russian weakening due to the war.
Moscow is now “in a position of unprecedented dependence on” Beijing, particularly economically, believes in this regard Bjorn Alexander Duben, an expert in international relations at Jilin University (China).
Will there be any surprises during Vladimir Putin’s visit? Few experts expect major announcements. Above all, it should be an opportunity for Beijing to show symbolic support for Moscow.
“Russia is aware that China does not want to sign agreements with great publicity,” Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told AFP.
“It’s China that holds all the cards,” he insists.
China and the Israel-Hamas conflict
However, the world’s media will have their attention fixed on the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Jewish state declared war on Hamas after waves of fighters from this Palestinian Islamist group crossed the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on October 7 to massacre more than 1,400 people – most of them civilians.
Since then, more than a million Gazans have fled their homes following Israeli bombings which have already caused the deaths of around 2,750 people, mainly civilians, according to the Palestinian authorities.
China calls for the protection of populations. But Western leaders criticized him for not condemning Hamas.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday. The latter had called on Beijing to use its “influence” to calm the situation in the Middle East.
China maintains excellent relations with Iran, which supports Hamas but also the Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah, which, based in Lebanon, could open a new front against Israel.
The Chinese government also sponsored the spectacular agreement in March to restore diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
As for the Chinese envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, he is expected in the region this week to promote a ceasefire.
Friends “
Ahead of the New Silk Roads forum which begins on Tuesday, Russian and Chinese foreign ministers met in Beijing on Monday.
Sergei Lavrov thanked China for making Vladimir Putin the “chief guest” of this meeting.
In return, Wang Yi said China “appreciates” Russian support for its Belt and Road initiative.
China and Russia “must […] deepen strategic mutual trust” and “consolidate traditional friendship,” Wang Yi told Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
The personal relationship between Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, who have described each other as “dear friends”, is at the heart of this rapprochement.
“President Xi Jinping calls me his friend and I also call him my friend,” Mr. Putin said before his visit in an interview with Chinese television.