Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia on March 20-22 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin is important for discussing the current international situation. This was announced on March 17 to Izvestia by Vladimir Portyakov, chief researcher at the Center for Political Research and Forecasts at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Although the visit looks formal, it is extremely important for discussing the current international situation, assessing developments and prospects, including a substantive conversation on the merits of the situation in Ukraine and the prospects for overcoming the crisis. Especially if the minimum is devoted to any form of ceremonial, and the maximum is a conversation about all problems in order to reach mutually acceptable solutions and compromises,” he said.
According to the expert, there are some discrepancies between Moscow and Beijing. Portyakov pointed to the inconsistency with the realities of some points of China’s plan to resolve the situation in Ukraine. For example, this concerns the ownership of Crimea.
Russia and China also have a different approach to relations with the United States, the Izvestia interlocutor added.
“China still wants to steer towards a more or less normal state of bilateral relations, while Russia now has no opportunities for any normalization of relations with the collective West. There are more and more not points of contact, but reasons for conflicts – not only Ukraine, but also the story of sabotage on the Nord Stream, the topic of START and a new plot with a downed drone, ”he explained.
The Sinologist stressed that there is also the problem of Russia’s activation in third countries, especially in Africa.
“It is not a fact that China is particularly satisfied with this, although Russia there is not quite a rival to China, which has been investing huge funds in the Black Continent for six decades. There are a number of different problems in trade relations, everything is not easy for China on this front – it is afraid of secondary sanctions, ”the expert concluded.
Earlier that day, the Kremlin press service reported that an exchange of views was planned between the politicians in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation. Signing of a number of important bilateral documents is also expected.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to Russia a friendship visit, which will further strengthen mutual trust between the countries.
On December 30, 2022, the President of Russia, speaking via video link with Xi Jinping, called relations between Russia and China currently the best in history. Putin said that Moscow and Beijing are standing up to all tests with dignity, and their relationship is a model for powers in the 21st century.
