While the global focus is now focused on the war between Israel and Hamas, with the Israeli army’s offensive on Gaza and with the American leader Joe Biden on his way to the Holy Land, in Beijing they rolled out the red carpet this Tuesday to receive representatives of more than 130 countries. It is 10 years since the new Silk Road, formally known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the vast global infrastructure program sponsored by President Xi Jinping, and the Asian superpower is organizing a major summit to celebrate it .
Many world leaders, especially from countries in the so-called Global South, have been seen in the capital of China. Although the most notable visit has undoubtedly been carried out by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has barely ventured beyond the borders of his country since he launched the invasion of Ukraine.
After a marathon of meetings with other leaders, host Xi entertained his guests with a gala dinner. The long-awaited photo arrived precisely at that moment, at the official dinner reception: Xi and Putin face to face again and posing together. Also in the frame was Peng Liyuan, the wife of the Chinese leader.
The formal bilateral meeting between the Russians and the Chinese, on the sidelines of the summit, is scheduled for Wednesday. It will be a new opportunity to try to give one more push to that “limitless” association that both signed a few weeks before the attack on kyiv. Putin and Xi are expected to advance deals for China to buy more natural gas from Russia.
Before the big banquet held in the People’s Palace, the Tiananmen Chamber, there was a group photo in which Putin was to the right of Xi. A few hours earlier, the Russian had another important meeting with his closest ally among the leaders of the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“Although in the current geopolitical conditions the opportunities to maintain contacts and develop relations are very limited, it can only be a reason for satisfaction that our relations with many European countries are maintained and developed. One of such countries is Hungary,” he said. Putin.
The last time the Russian president visited Beijing was on February 4, 2022 to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Xi then supported him in the demand that NATO should stop its expansion in Eastern Europe. In return, Putin seconded the Chinese position of opposing any formal independence for Taiwan, the self-governed island that China considers a breakaway province. After their meeting in the capital, both leaders signed a long statement titled that pointed to a friendship between China and Russia “without limits or prohibited areas of cooperation.”
That day, Bloomberg reported that Xi had asked Putin not to provoke any military conflict in Ukraine during the Beijing Olympics. From Moscow they denied it. At that time, Russian troops were massing on the border with Ukraine. The Games brought the curtain down two weeks later. Not even 24 hours passed when Putin announced that he recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The invasion began and many Western countries, as well as Asian NATO allies, launched the first economic blockades on Moscow. Meanwhile, China stood in profile without condemning the war started by Putin. A position he continues to hold, trying to balance a solid alliance with the Putin regime while claiming to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and vaguely moving some chips towards a fruitful peace mediation that never comes. For many analysts, especially those watching from Washington, Beijing’s role is closer to what they call “pro-Russia neutrality.”
Xi’s government has maintained an open direct line with the Kremlin. There have been frequent trips by Chinese officials to Moscow, as well as joint military maneuvers carried out by the armies of both countries.
After the shock of Western sanctions, Moscow’s strategic dependence on Beijing has only increased, and the Asian giant has taken advantage of this to buy oil and coal at a discount, expanding its trade by 34% in 2022. 3% more than the previous year. This year, a considerable increase in this economic lifeline launched by Beijing is expected.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, this is the third face to face between Puti and Xi after a regional summit held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) in September 2022 and the visit of the Chinese leader to Moscow last March, just a few days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin for war crimes, specifically for his involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children. With this arrest warrant in force, Putin has only set foot in two countries: Kyrgyzstan and China. None of them are signatories to the Rome Statute, the roadmap that led to the founding of the international court.
