Chinese President Xi To Visit Moscow In Show Of Support For Vladimir Putin
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping will go to Russia from Monday to Wednesday, in an obvious present of assist for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid sharpening East-West tensions over the battle in Ukraine.
Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is anticipated to dominate discussions. China has sought to venture itself as impartial within the battle even whereas in 2022 Beijing declared it had a “no-limits” friendship with Russia and has refused to sentence Moscow’s invasion.
The assembly between the leaders was introduced by each international locations on Friday.
China has mentioned the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all international locations ought to be revered, whereas condemning Western sanctions and accusing NATO and the United States of upsetting Russia into army motion.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang advised his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing is anxious concerning the year-old battle spinning uncontrolled and urged talks on a political resolution with Moscow.
China has “always upheld an objective and fair stance on the Ukraine issue, has committed itself to promoting peace and advancing negotiations and calls on the international community to create conditions for peace talks,” Qin mentioned.
Kuleba later tweeted that he and Qin “discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity.”
“I underscored the importance of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s)’s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine,” wrote Kuleba, who spoke the identical day with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentioned in a every day briefing on Friday that Xi “will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern, promote strategic cooperation and practical cooperation between the two countries, and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.”
“Currently, the world is entering a new period of turbulences and reform with the accelerated evolution of changes of the century. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and important major countries, the significance and impact of the China-Russia relations go far beyond the bilateral sphere,” he added.
The journey comes after the destruction of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea following an encounter with Russian fighter jets, which introduced the 2 international locations closest to direct battle since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a 12 months in the past.
The Kremlin on Friday additionally introduced Xi’s go to, saying it can happen “at the invitation of Vladimir Putin.”
Xi and Putin will talk about “issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China,” in addition to change views “in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena,” the Kremlin mentioned in a press release.
The two leaders may also signal “important bilateral documents,” the assertion learn.
Putin invited Xi to go to Russia throughout a video convention name the 2 held in late December. The go to, Putin mentioned, might “demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties” and “become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.”