Russian President Putin’s visit to China has ended. There was a symbolic hug with state and party leader Xi. Finally, Putin called for the construction of a new pipeline.
During a tour of a Chinese-Russian trade fair in Harbin, Russian President Vladimir Putin was shown cars from China, among others. Russia has become the largest export market for Chinese cars. Nine of the ten best-selling car brands in Russia last year were Chinese.
Vehicle manufacturers from democratic countries have withdrawn from Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including German car brands. In a speech at the trade fair, Putin praised the two countries’ cooperation in the energy sector.
Our strategic alliance in the energy sector has become a mainstay of the global energy and raw materials market. I am sure that this area will continue to grow. Russia is ready and able to provide China’s economy, enterprises and cities with green and affordable energy, light and heat.
Putin wants to build a new pipeline
What Putin means by this is Russian natural gas. The leadership in Moscow would like to build another pipeline to China in order to sell even more gas to the People’s Republic – but Beijing is delaying the decision.
The People’s Republic is buying large quantities of coal, oil and gas from Russia at cheap prices after European countries withdrew as customers because of the invasion of Ukraine. A source of income for Russia’s war chest.
Visit to Harbin not a coincidence
Russian President Putin also visited the Harbin Institute of Technology. The university has strong ties to China’s military and was sanctioned by the US years ago over national security concerns.
Russian President Putin takes part in a meeting with students.
It is no coincidence that Putin chose Harbin as the second stop on his trip to China. The northeastern Chinese city of over a million people is located in the Russian-Chinese border region of Heilongjiang and has historical connections to Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, tens of thousands of Russians settled in Harbin.
Xi and Putin hug
Yesterday Putin was received in Beijing by state and party leader Xi Jinping. The two reaffirmed their solidarity against the USA and decided to deepen their cooperation in many areas – including security issues.
The war in Ukraine was also discussed, even if both sides are not talking about a war. China describes itself as neutral in the conflict. To date, however, it has not condemned the invasion, which violated international law, and has massively expanded relations with its “good friend” Russia. It is fitting that Xi hugged Russian President Putin goodbye.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin hug.
While trade between the two autocracies is flourishing, China’s friendship with Russia is damaging the much closer economic ties with Europe, said Jens Eskelund, President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in Beijing: “And you can also see that in the way that China is perceived in Europe has fallen to a low point. This is affecting the attractiveness of the Chinese market. Many companies are asking themselves: Do I really want to invest there?”
If the People’s Republic is not seen as friendly, it will make it more difficult to recruit talent in Europe who will then come to China, said Eskelund. China also needs to understand that the Chinese position regarding European security priorities also has an impact on the economy.
Benjamin Eyssel, ARD Beijing, tagesschau, May 17, 2024 1:36 p.m