Xi Jinping showed on Tuesday in Russia the “priority” he gave to “strategic” relations between Moscow and Beijing, two “great powers”, thus signifying his agreement with Vladimir Putin in the face of Westerners in the midst of conflict in Ukraine.
On the second day of his state visit to Russia, Mr. Xi said his move responds to “historical logic”, because “we are the largest neighboring powers and strategic partners at all levels”.
The Chinese president, speaking during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Michoustin, also said that Beijing “will continue to give priority to the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia”, according to comments reported by the Russian news agencies.
Mr. Xi, who is due to meet with Mr. Putin on Tuesday after an initial meeting on Monday, also said that he had invited the Russian president to visit him in China “when he can this year”, despite the mandate of judgment issued last week by the International Criminal Court against the master of the Kremlin.
Coincidence of the calendar? While Mr. Xi shows his support for Moscow in full tension with Western countries, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected in Ukraine on Tuesday for a surprise visit.
Mr. Kishida will convey to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people who defend their homeland under his command, as well as the solidarity and unfailing support for Ukraine from Japan and the G7”, said said Japanese diplomacy.
Fumio Kishida was the only member of the group not to have been to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.
Tokyo joined Western sanctions against Russia and announced in February a new aid of 5.5 billion dollars (5.1 billion euros) to Ukraine.
“Dear friend”
The conflict in Ukraine, precisely, will be at the heart of the discussions which are to begin Tuesday around 12:00 GMT between MM. Xi and Putin, after an “informal” interview on Monday during which they displayed their agreement, giving each other, for example, “dear friend”.
During this first meeting, which lasted more than four hours, Mr. Putin said he was ready to discuss an initiative from Beijing aimed at stopping this conflict.
The Russian president showered his powerful Chinese host with praise, notably hailing his “fair and balanced position on international issues”.
But if China poses as an intermediary in Ukraine, the West judges that Beijing supports Moscow too much to be credible. Washington even accuses the Chinese authorities of considering supplying arms to Russia, which they deny.
Others in the West believe that China could take inspiration from the Russian attack in Ukraine to take control of Taiwan.
Also on Monday, the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, affirmed that “the world must not be fooled by any tactical decision by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the conflict (in Ukraine) on its own terms.
Mr. Blinken pointed out that Mr. Xi had visited Russia just three days after the ICC’s arrest warrant for Mr. Putin, which the US diplomat said suggests that China does not feel the need “to hold the (Russian) President responsible for the atrocities inflicted on Ukraine”.
For its part, Kyiv, cautious about Chinese intentions, urged Mr. Xi on Monday to “use his influence on Moscow to end the war of aggression”.
Gas record
Questioned by AFP, the French expert Antoine Bondaz, a specialist in Chinese diplomacy, believes that Beijing is seeking to promote in the Ukrainian file an “image of a factor of stability (…) particularly with non-Western countries”, while trying to “delegitimize democratic regimes”.
In recent years, Beijing and Moscow have indeed posed as geopolitical counterweights to American power and its allies.
But in addition to geopolitical considerations, economic issues will be at the heart of discussions on Tuesday between MM. Putin and Xi.
Mr. Xi’s visit to Russia comes at a time when the latter has massively reoriented its economy towards Beijing, in the face of heavy Western sanctions against it.
As a symbol of this growing economic integration, the Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on Tuesday that it had delivered a “record” quantity of gas the day before via the cross-border “Siberian Force” gas pipeline.
According to the Kremlin, MM. Xi and Putin are due to sign several documents on Tuesday, including a joint statement on deepening their economic ties by 2030.