The Future According to Xi and Putin – ChinaFile

On May 16 and 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to China, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

On the opening day of the 2022 Winter Olympics, just 20 days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the two leaders had met in Beijing and declared a no limits partnership. On March 22, 2023, at the end of a state visit to Russia, as Xi left the Kremlin he told Putin, There are changesthe likes of which we havent seen for 100 yearsand we are the ones driving these changes together. The remarks were filmed and broadcast around the world.

China has not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Chinas rhetorical and economic support for Russia has been rock solid. Bilateral trade rose 26.3 percent between 2022 and 2023, hitting a record $240.1 billion, with China buying enormous qualities of Russian fossil fuels, and selling products and commodities that Russia needs.

Putin came to Beijing this month with an entourage of senior officials, including the new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and the man he replaced, Sergei Shoigu, as well as a host of other officials who have a long history of working with Chinese counterparts.

In 2023, Beijing issued a 12-point Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis that state media called a peace proposal. Before this months trip, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency quoted Putin as saying, We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.

The Kremlin released a statement about the visit saying that the leaders of Russia and China will have an extensive discussion of the entire scope of issues pertaining to the Russia-China overarching partnership and strategic cooperation, and that they will outline priorities for further practical cooperation between the two states and have an in-depth exchange of opinions on the most pressing international and regional issues.

Xi has stood closely by Putins side since their announcement of the no limits partnership, and this does not look likely to change. But what has been the outcome of Putins trip? Did the two leaders make a serious attempt to negotiate on Ukraine, or were the optics of bilateral friendship the main aim? How should we expect the two countries trade relationship to change after this visit? What else came out of this trip?

The Editors

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The Future According to Xi and Putin - ChinaFile