Putin and Xi reaffirm Russia-China friendship in a Beijing state visit

They say you only know your true friends in your most difficult moments. If you don’t believe it, you just have to look into Russia-China relations.

On May 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a two-day visit and reaffirm, as CNN states, the close bonds both nations share.

Al Jazeera writes that Putin and Xi will participate in a gala that commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union recognizing the People’s Republic of China, after Mao Zedong’s victory against nationalist forces in 1949.

According to CNBC, this will be Putin’s first trip abroad since being reelected for a fifth term as President of Russia earlier this year, which comes as no surprise.

Both countries have grown closer in the past few years, among other things, due to finding a common antagonist in the United States.

“Relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and are not directed against anyone”, Putin declared, as quoted by the Russian news agency TASS. “Our cooperation in world affairs today serves as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena”.

Likewise, CNBC quotes Xi Jinping affirming that Beijing “will always work with Russia as a good neighbor, friend, and partner”.

Indeed, as Russia has grown increasingly isolated from the West since the 2021 invasion of Ukraine, China has grown in importance as an ally.

AP News writes that, on one hand, Beijing has become Russia’s main supplier of high-tech imports, helping to keep Putin’s war machine in Ukraine up to date.

At the same time, Moscow has found in China an important market for Russian oil and gas, which has helped to keep the cash flowing amid the war and international sanctions.

Overall, The New York Times writes that Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have met over 40 times, more than any other world leader for either of them.

NPR reported that, during a 2019 meeting in Moscow, the Chinese President labelled the Russian leader as “his best friend” in the world stage.

Al Jazeera remarks how, weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin, and Xi declared a “no limits” partnership between their two nations.

However, it’s no secret that the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv has not made things easier for Beijing. Despite international pressure, Xi Jinping’s government has not condemned Putin’s military actions in Ukraine.

China has taken a neutral position in the Russian-Ukrainian war, releasing in the first anniversary of the invasion a 12-point peace initiative that Al Jazeera describes as having a lukewarm reception in the West.

The New York Times writes that China also agree with the Kremlin’s reasoning that the war in Ukraine was provoked by NATO’s unmitigated eastward expansion into Russia’s sphere of influence.

At the same time, the Kremlin recognizes Beijing’s claim over the island of Taiwan, which has become a main source of conflict between Xi Jinping and the United States.

Many world leaders keep the hope that Xi Jinping could be the key to mediate between Russia and the West. However, how truly neutral he would be to his ‘old friend’ should be taken into consideration.

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