Russia and China have signed several agreements to strengthen cooperation between the countries. Three areas the two countries' cooperation will particularly focus on in the future, namely trade in electronics, raw materials and energy. Among other things, they reportedly discussed the proposal for a new natural gas pipeline between Russia and China.
In addition to trade agreements, the war in Ukraine has attracted a lot of attention at the meeting between Xi and Putin.
China's Peace Proposal
China says it has developed a twelve-point peace plan to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine.
The paragraphs contain, among other things, proposals that call for dialogue and respect for the territorial sovereignty of all countries. What exactly that means for the occupied territories of Ukraine is unclear, but Putin says in a statement that he believes the proposals could be a "basis for a solution — when the West is ready for it."
We believe that many of the points in the Chinese peace plan are in line with the views of the Russian Federation. Many of these proposals could be implemented in the West and in Kiev, Putin said.
Criticism of China's neutrality
The fact that it is Russia that attacked Ukraine was not mentioned in the joint statements. Xi Jinping, on the other hand, said that China is neutral when it comes to the war in Ukraine and that China will be "on the right side of history".
China's neutrality and peace plan, on the other hand, are being questioned by the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, among other things, that the fact that Xi Jinping's visit takes place just days after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin "shows that China feels no responsibility for holding Putin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine."
Rather, China is now giving Russia diplomatic alibi to be able to continue committing war crimes in Ukraine, Blinken said.