Putin expects Xi’s visit, seeks to boost military cooperation
BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he was expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a state visit early next year, in what would be a public show of solidarity from Beijing amid Russia’s flailing invasion of Ukraine.
In effusive introductory remarks from a video conference between the two leaders broadcast on state television, President Putin also said he aimed to strengthen military cooperation with China.
Putin’s statement, which lasted around eight minutes, highlighted Russia’s dramatic pivot away from the Western powers that have ostracized it economically and politically for its actions in Ukraine, and given Ukraine weapons, towards courting the rising global power of long-time rival China.
“We are expecting you, dear Mr Chairman, dear friend, we are expecting you next spring on a state visit to Moscow,” Putin told Xi. “This will demonstrate to the whole world the strength of Russian-Chinese ties on key issues.”
However, President Xi told his Russian counterpart that the road to peace talks on Ukraine would not be smooth and that China would continue to uphold its “objective and fair stance” on the issue. Xi said Beijing and Moscow should closely coordinate and cooperate in international affairs and emphasised Russia’s willingness to engage in negotiations over Ukraine, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said in its report on a call between the two men.
The two men had signed a “no limits” strategic partnership in February, informed by shared distrust of the West, a few days before Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine in what it terms a “special military operation”.
Putin told Xi they shared same views on the causes, course and logic of the ongoing transformation of the global geopolitical landscape, in the face of unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West.
Yuan share in wealth fund
On Friday, Russia’s finance ministry doubled the maximum possible share of Chinese yuan in its National Wealth Fund to 60 per cent, as Moscow attempted to end dependency on “unfriendly” nations including the United States, European Union members, Britain and Japan.
Russia has also publicly backed Xi’s position on Taiwan and accused the West of trying to provoke a conflict over the status of the self-governing island, which China claims as its own.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said no date had yet been set for Xi’s visit.
Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2022