Putin visits Beijing, while Russia and China emphasize the “borderless” relationship amid tension with the United States

Beijing – Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for this His efforts to solve War in Ukraine At the Beijing summit on Thursday, the two leaders reaffirmed the “borderless” partnership that has grown as the two countries face increasing tensions with the West.

Putin’s two-day state visit to one of his most powerful allies came as his country’s forces launch an offensive in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region — the most significant border incursion since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The largely symbolic visit underscored the growing partnership between the two countries, which face challenges in their relations with the United States and Europe.

“Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure both sides are facing from the United States, both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other any time soon,” said Ho Tiang Bun, a professor who teaches. Chinese Foreign Policy at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Talk about peace in Ukraine, but no proposals

While the two leaders said they were seeking to end the war in Ukraine, they did not provide any new details in their public statements Thursday afternoon. China has great influence as a major supporter of Russia, before and after its invasion. The country claims to be neutral in the conflict, but has backed Moscow’s claims that the West has provoked Russia to attack Ukraine, and continues to supply Russia with key components Moscow needs to produce weapons.

China has proposed a broadly worded peace plan in 2023, however It was rejected By both Ukraine and the West for failing to call on Russia to leave occupied parts of Ukraine.

“China hopes for an early return to peace and stability in Europe, and will continue to play a constructive role in this regard,” Xi said, speaking alongside Putin.

Putin said he would inform the Chinese leader in detail about “the situation in Ukraine,” and said, “We appreciate the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.”

The two-year-old war has entered a critical phase with the new Russian offensive in Ukraine. Exhausted Kyiv army He is still waiting for new supplies Anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States after months of delay.

On the eve of the visit, Putin said in an interview with Chinese media that the Kremlin is ready to negotiate the conflict in Ukraine, “but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries participating in the conflict, including our state.”

Putin said the Chinese proposal, which Ukraine rejected last year, could “lay the foundation for a political and diplomatic process that takes into account Russia’s security concerns and contributes to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that any negotiations must include the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian forces, the release of all prisoners, a court for those responsible for the aggression and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Ukrainian leader he recently warned in an interview with CBS News And if the United States and NATO fail to help his military stop Putin’s advance, Russia could take its war directly “to Europe and the United States” as NATO’s largest member.

The growing relationship between China and Russia is “borderless.”

Before their statements, the two leaders signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between their countries on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Xi said that China and Russia will continue to adhere to the position of non-alliance and non-confrontation.

The two authoritarian states – which two years ago suggested they were working together on this Offering a new “democratic world order.” – They also said in their joint statement on Thursday that they will continue to study the negative impact of the US-NATO strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

China has become increasingly assertive in its claims to a number of disputed areas in the region recently Tension between Beijing and the United States It focused sharply on the future of the democratically ruled island of Taiwan, which lies directly on China’s east coast. Xi has pledged to assert Chinese control over the island, which the United States is obligated by law to help defend, and has never ruled out the use of force.

Thursday’s meeting was further confirmation of the “borderless” friendly relationship the two leaders formalized in 2022, before Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China, as Western sanctions have cut off Moscow’s access to much of the international trading system. China’s increased trade with Russia, which totaled $240 billion last year, has helped the country mitigate some of the worst blowback from the sanctions.

Moscow has shifted the bulk of its energy exports to China and relies on Chinese companies for imports of high-tech components for its military industries – to circumvent Western sanctions.

“President Putin and I agree that we should actively seek the convergence of the interests of the two countries, develop each other’s advantages, deepen the complementarity of interests, and realize each other’s achievements,” Xi said.

Military relations between Russia and China have also strengthened over the past few years. They held a A series of joint war gamesIncluding naval maneuvers and long-range bomber patrols over the Sea of ​​Japan and the East China Sea.

China remains a major market for Russian military equipment, while Beijing is also significantly expanding its domestic defense industries, including Building aircraft carriers And nuclear submarines.

Putin had previously said that Russia shares very sensitive military technologies with China, which has greatly helped enhance its defense capability. In October 2019, he reported that Russia was helping China develop an early warning system to detect ballistic missile launches — a system that includes ground-based radar and satellites that only Russia and the United States have.