While he is seen as a pariah by many Western countries, Vladimir Putin left Russia to visit his main ally. The Russian president arrived in China this Thursday to meet his counterpart and “dear friend” Xi Jinping, in order to show that he is not isolated on the international scene and above all with the hope of convincing Beijing to provide a even stronger support for his Ukraine war.
According to images from Russian television, the head of the Kremlin was greeted this Thursday around 4:30 a.m. in Beijing, upon getting off his plane, by Chinese officials and an honor guard, before taking his place in a black limousine.
Beijing benefits from cheap Russian energy
This two-day visit constitutes the first trip abroad by the master of the Kremlin since his re-election in March and his second to China in just over six months. Beijing is a crucial economic lifeline for Russia, plagued by heavy Western sanctions.
Returning from a tour of France, Serbia and Hungary, Xi Jinping defended the right to maintain normal economic ties with his Russian neighbor. China benefits in particular from cheap Russian energy imports. And the two countries celebrated at the beginning of 2022, just before the outbreak of the invasion of Ukraine, a bilateral partnership described as “limitless”.
But these close ties are viewed with growing suspicion among Westerners. The United States is thus threatening to sanction foreign companies, in particular banks, which work with Russia.
The red line set by Washington
The Kremlin said this week that the two presidents would discuss “key areas of development of Russian-Chinese cooperation, while also exchanging their views on international and regional issues.” In an interview with the official Xinhua news agency published on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin welcomed Beijing’s “sincere desire” to work to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
China regularly calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries (including Ukraine) but also urges consideration of Russia’s security concerns. Washington, for its part, has set a red line for Beijing – not to directly supply weapons to Russia – and says it has to date not had proof to the contrary.
OUR FILE ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE
But the United States believes that Chinese economic support still allows Russia to strengthen its production of missiles, drones and tanks. Sino-Russian trade has exploded since the invasion of Ukraine and reached $240 billion in 2023. However, Chinese exports to neighboring Russia were significantly lower in March and April 2024 than on the January-February period, after threats from Washington to sanction financial institutions supporting the Russian war effort.