It is their first meeting since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The presidents of China, Xi Jinping, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, met this Thursday at a regional summit in Uzbekistan to show their agreement with the West, as their countries are at the center of international diplomatic crises.
The meeting had an air of defiance of Washington, which took the lead in sanctions against Moscow and military support for Kyiv and drew Beijing’s ire with the visit of several US officials to Taiwan. The Russian president denounced in particular Western attempts to create a “unipolar world”.
Putin hails Beijing’s ‘balanced stance’ on Ukraine
“The attempts to create a unipolar world have recently taken an absolutely ugly form and are completely unacceptable,” Vladimir Putin told Xi.
“We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends regarding the Ukraine crisis,” he continued, while his country is subject to heavy Western sanctions for having invaded Ukraine.
Beijing neither supported nor criticized the Russian invasion, while repeatedly expressing support for Moscow in the face of Western sanctions. China thus refuses since the February 24 intervention to use the word “invasion” to describe the military operation launched by Russia in Ukraine.
Common front against the United States
During the interview, Vladimir Putin also renewed Moscow’s support for Beijing on Taiwan, where visits by US officials in recent weeks have drawn strong reactions from China.
“We condemn the US provocation,” said the Russian president, stressing that Moscow adheres to the “one China” principle that wants Taiwan to be an integral part of Chinese territory.
The meeting between Xi Jiping and Vladimir Putin comes at a time when their two countries are facing heightened diplomatic tensions with the United States. Beijing-Moscow relations were tumultuous during the Cold War, but the two countries have grown much closer in recent decades in standing together in the face of US influence.
China ready to play its “great power” role with Russia
As if to signal their approach, the Russian and Chinese ships conducted a joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday to “strengthen their maritime cooperation,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“China is willing to work with Russia to shoulder its great responsibility as a power, play a leading role and inject stability and positive energy into a chaotic world,” said Xi, his Russian counterpart.
“I am convinced that our meeting today will give additional impetus to the strengthening of the strategic partnership between Russia and China,” added Vladimir Putin, as China is Russia’s main economic partner.
Three weeks before the start of the war in Ukraine, the Chinese president received Vladimir Putin in Beijing, on the sidelines of the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics. They then proclaimed “boundless friendship” between China and Russia and many agreements were signed, particularly in the field of gas.
Source: BFM TV
