Beijing: Russian President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during an official ceremony in Beijing on Thursday as the former began his two-day state visit. This is Putin's first foreign visit since he began his fifth term as the Russian President as the Kremlin hopes the visit will deepen a strategic partnership between the two most powerful geopolitical rivals of the United States.
By picking China for his first foreign trip since being sworn in for a six-year term that will keep him in power until at least 2030, Putin is sending a message to the world about his priorities and the depth of his personal relationship with Xi. Ahead of his visit, the Russian President praised Xi for helping to build a "strategic partnership" with Russia based on national interests and deep mutual trust.
They shook hands at a welcome ceremony after Putin’s arrival in Beijing at dawn. Putin is expected to have meetings with Xi and other top officials that will emphasise their commitment to the “no limits” relationship they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The two continent-sized authoritarian states, increasingly in dispute with democracies and NATO, seek to gain influence in Africa, the Middle East and South America.
China lays out red carpet welcome for Putin
China rolled out the red carpet for the Russian President with a welcome ceremony held just after Putin’s arrival in Beijing. Putin was greeted by Xi just after stepping out of his trademark Russian-manufactured Aurus Senat limousine at the Great Hall.
The 71-year-old Russian President said he would establish closer cooperation with China in the field of industry and high technology, space and peaceful nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy sources and other innovative sectors. The two leaders will also participate in a gala evening that will commemorate 75 years since the Soviet Union recognised the People's Republic of China, declared by Mao Zedong in 1949.
On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with China's state-run Xinhua news agency that the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine. "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," he said.
"We have never refused to negotiate. We are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. 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," Putin further told Xinhua.
China's support to Russia
Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has become economically dependent on China in the wake of US-led sanctions. China has strengthened its trade and military ties with Russia in recent years, supplying machine tools, electronics and other items seen as contributing to the Russian war effort, without actually exporting weaponry.
China has sought to project itself as a neutral party in the conflict, but has declared a “no limits” relationship with Russia. The West has accused China of playing a crucial role in helping Russia withstand the sanctions and has supplied key technology which Russia has used on the battlefield in Ukraine.
While diplomats and analysts expect Putin to push Xi for further support for Russia's war economy, from machines and chemicals to help its military industries to more discounted oil and gas purchases, Putin's trip is likely to be heavily symbolic of a shared worldview centred on countering a US-led order.
Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war and praised China’s peace plan for Ukraine that would allow Moscow to cement its territorial gains. “Beijing proposes practicable and constructive steps to achieve peace by refraining from pursuing vested interests and constant escalation of tensions, minimizing the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy,” he had said.
(with inputs from agencies)
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