Tessa Wong and Simon Fraser
BBC News
Source, Getty Images
Vladimir Putin, who met with the President of China for the first time after the occupation, shared with the world public that Xi Jinping conveyed his “concerns” about Ukraine.
Speaking in Uzbekistan, Putin also thanked China for its balanced stance.
Putin also referred to the invasion as the ‘Ukraine crisis’.
Continuing his words, the Russian leader also said that the US’s “effort to create a unipolar world” will fail.
The Chinese leader also noted that they are willing to work together with Russia as major powers.
China did not support the invasion of Ukraine, but continues to expand its trade with Russia.
The two leaders met in Samarkand, where they are for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Putin said that during this meeting, Xi Jinping expressed his questions and concerns and he understood them.
Moscow’s post-invasion relations with the West have reduced to the worst level since the Cold War. Global food and energy prices are also rising due to the crisis.
‘Not an ally’
The occupation also brought difficulties for China, which has already strained relations with the West on Taiwan and human rights issues.
The increasingly developing relations between China and Russia, which they describe as ‘a bulwark against Western domination’, are considered a serious change in the world order that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
China, which has become an economic superpower, is the stronger hand in this relationship.
Professor Emeritus Rosemary from Oxford University notes that Putin, the leader of Russia, who is isolated in the international arena, gains more from this relationship.
Evaluating the interview, Rosemary told the BBC: “That’s why it was important to show China as a supportive partner. Even if not an ally, China is definitely in the supporting actor category. There is a close relationship,” she says.
Shi Jingping’s stance
This meeting has a visual significance for Xi, who describes Putin as an ‘old friend’.
He will seek a third term at the party congress next month. This visit to Central Asia was his first departure from the country after the Covid epidemic.
New restrictions and zero Covid policy are still being implemented in China.
For both countries, this relationship means win-win. As Europe tries to reduce its energy dependence on Russia, China is increasing its purchase. And according to the news, discounted prices are given.
Last month, Beijing also agreed to pay Moscow in rubles.
However, according to intelligence reports, China seems to draw a line in this exchange.
US intelligence explains that Moscow has contacted China for the arms request, but there is no sign that Beijing accepts this request.
Some experts assess that Xi is trying to keep a distance with Putin.
“It is impossible for Xi not to take into account the unhappiness and anxiety of the Central Asian countries,” says Professor Foot.