Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s adviser on international affairs, insisted that the choice of China for the president’s first foreign trip was no coincidence – It echoes a similar gesture of friendship made by Chinese President Xi Jinping last year.
In Beijing, Putin meets his counterpart, Prime Minister Xi Jinping. The Russian head of state is accompanied by a highly representative delegation.
It includes five deputy prime ministers, the heads of the economic, diplomatic and defense departments, as well as the heads of the Central Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Russian Railways, Rosatom and Roscosmos.
The bilateral talks will focus on the development and expansion of trade and economic ties. During the meeting, Putin and Xi Jinping will also discuss the most important political and regional issues. However, according to Ushako, the most important part of the meeting in Beijing will take place in an informal environment behind closed doors. In a “one plus four” format, the two heads of state will hold a detailed discussion on the situation in Ukraine, the Russian news agency reported.
Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The West does not understand this
The West does not understand how much Russia has changed and how closely it is aligned with China. The country has never been so dependent in its history – writes Alexander Kabuyev, director of the Berlin-based Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, in the New York Times before Putin’s visit to Beijing.
Many politicians and experts in the West still believe that the Russian-Chinese alliance is a temporary aberration in history, a result of the Russian dictator’s “toxic anti-Americanism” and his “fixation on Ukraine.” As Putin leaves the stage, they assume that Russia wants to strengthen its ties with Europe, and that Moscow’s ties with Beijing are opportunistic and shallow, explains Kabuyev, an expert on Russian-Chinese relations.
This is “wishful thinking” that does not take into account the profound changes that have taken place in the Russian economy and society. “Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has never been so far from Europe, and in its entire history has not been so closely connected with China (…) After two years of war in Ukraine and painful Western sanctions, not only for Putin. China – Russia too” – emphasizes the expert. .