Vladimir Putin seeks to strengthen Russian-Chinese relations
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping spoke today during a meeting by videoconference. Mr Putin said he hoped the Chinese president would come to Russia for a “state visit” to ” spring “ 2023. A first since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are expecting you, Mr. President, dear friend, we are expecting you next spring for a state visit to Moscow”said Vladimir Putin, in introduction of the exchange between the two leaders. This visit would “demonstrate to the whole world the closeness of Russian-Chinese relations”he added.
Mr. Putin said he wanted to strengthen military cooperation with China, praising the resistance of Moscow and Beijing to the “pressures” Western. “In the context of unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West, we defend our principled positions”, welcomed the Russian president. According to him, “Coordination between Moscow and Beijing on the international scene (…) serves the creation of a just world order based on international law.. “Military and technical cooperation which contributes to the security of our countries and to the maintenance of stability in key regions has a special place” in Russian-Chinese cooperation, he continued.
In response, Xi Jinping said China stands ready to increase strategic cooperation with Russia amid what he called a difficult situation. ” difficult “ in the world in general.
Faced with heavy Western sanctions because of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been seeking in recent months to strengthen its ties with Asia, in particular with China, which has nevertheless refrained from supporting the Russian attack. Moscow and Beijing present themselves as a geopolitical counterweight to the United States and its allies. They have conducted several joint military exercises in recent months, including naval maneuvers this week in the East China Sea. Russia is also trying to increase its gas deliveries to the Chinese economy, a major consumer of hydrocarbons, especially since the Europeans are determined to get rid of their energy dependence on Russia.