With the deterioration of relations between Beijing and Washington
Strengthening China-Russia ties amid Moscow's setbacks in Ukraine
Putin and Xi... a developing relationship despite the difficulties.
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Despite Russia incurring heavy field losses in Ukraine and imposing Western sanctions on it, China affirms its firm support for President Vladimir Putin and the "without borders" friendship between them.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met yesterday on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, in their first meeting since the start of Russian military operations in Ukraine, and in the Chinese president's first overseas move since the outbreak of the "Covid-19" epidemic.
Relations between Beijing and Moscow were rocky during the Cold War, but the two neighbors have clearly converged in recent decades to form a common front in the face of American influence.
While Beijing has not explicitly supported the war, it has been building economic and strategic ties with Moscow over the past six months of the war, and Xi has assured his counterpart of his support for Russian "sovereignty and security."
Analysts say that with the decline in Sino-US relations, Beijing considers it needs to strengthen ties with its giant northern neighbor.
"Regardless of whether Russia wins (in Ukraine), China will seek a close alliance with Russia, which is decided more than anything by the current state of US-China relations," said Sun San, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank. else".
As the world's second largest nuclear power, "Russia is a geopolitical power that cannot be excluded," according to San.
China views Russia as an important partner in keeping international institutions out of Washington's hegemony.
Senior diplomat Yang Jiechi told the Russian ambassador to China Andrey Denisov on Monday that "Xi and Putin can work to develop the world order in a more just and rational direction."
In terms of trade, China increased the volume of its oil purchases from Russia in the past months, and Russia became China's first oil supplier in the three months from May to July, which contributed to compensating for Moscow's losses.
US-China relations
Sino-US relations have been tense for years, and there is no sign of a thaw in the trade war between them, while Washington accuses Beijing of human rights abuses.
Relations between them reached their lowest point in August, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, angering Beijing, which considers the island part of its territory.
The Chinese government responded with massive military exercises, launching missiles from around Taiwan, and canceling cooperation with the United States in many areas, including critical climate talks.
And last week, Xi dispatched his top government legislator, Li Zhanshu, to Russia, where he met Putin.
"Mutual political trust, strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation between our two countries have reached an unprecedented level," Li was quoted by state media as saying.
Lee's visit came at a time when Russia had suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, and Kyiv's forces had recaptured swathes of territory.
But if "Russia is weakened in the war, it will not be bad news for China, which will increase its hegemony in bilateral relations," according to San.
Russia is 'very hopeful'
A closer look at Lee's visit also reveals that China is still keen to avoid Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, even if Moscow portrays Beijing as supporting it.
"We fully understand the necessity of all measures taken by Russia, aimed at protecting its main interests, and we offer our assistance," Russia quoted Li as saying in a statement to parliament.
This statement did not appear in the official Chinese reports on the meeting, which indicates a lack of coordination between the two sides in correspondence.
"With Russia's position waning, Putin will look for increased Chinese support," Hal Brands, professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said in comments posted on Twitter last week.
"The meeting between Xi and Putin is taking place at a moment of great changes in the battlefield, which may mean that Russia is very hopeful for Chinese help," said Joseph Turrigian, a foreign policy expert at the American University in Washington, DC.
"We don't know how difficult the requests are and how much China thinks it can help without sacrificing its economic interests," he told AFP.
While Beijing has not explicitly supported the war, it has been building economic and strategic ties with Moscow over the past six months of the war, and Xi has reassured his counterpart of his support for Russian "sovereignty and security."
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