- Chinese leaders will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.
- Putin’s visit is a demonstration of support for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic Belt and Road initiative.
- China is Russia’s main market for Russian goods as well as its economic lifeline.
This week, Chinese leaders will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where they will discuss China’s diplomatic and economic backing of Moscow amid its conflict in Ukraine.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has complicated the two nations’ unofficial cooperation against the US and other democratic countries. China has made an effort to strike a balance between its economic ties—which are heavily supported by Russia—with Iran and Syria and its relations with Israel.
Visit to China
Putin’s visit is a demonstration of support for Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s historic Belt and Road initiative, which aims to develop infrastructure and increase China’s sphere of influence abroad.
At an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of Xi’s declaration of the policy, which has left Zambia and Sri Lanka heavily indebted after they entered into agreements with Chinese enterprises to construct roads, airports, and other public works they could not otherwise afford, he will be one of the most well-known attendees.
Putin stated that discussions of Belt and Road projects would be covered during the visit. Moscow hopes to connect these initiatives with the efforts being made by an economic alliance of former Soviet Union countries, most of which are in Central Asia, to “achieve common development goals.”
In an area that Russia has traditionally seen as its backyard and where it has attempted to retain political and military sway, he also minimized the significance of China’s economic influence.
According to Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, China can rely on Russia as a friendly and safe neighbor, as well as a reliable supplier of inexpensive raw resources, backing for its global endeavors, and access to military technologies that China lacks. China is Russia’s main market for Russian goods as well as its economic lifeline during its ruthless repression of Ukraine.
Although it seems unlikely that Beijing and Moscow will form a formal military alliance, their defense cooperation will increase. In terms of security, both nations are self-sufficient and gain from cooperation, but neither needs the other to secure their security.
