Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow on Monday in “peace visit” after Beijing recently unveiled an initiative to resolve the conflict between Russians and Ukrainians.
As the Kremlin reported on Friday, Xi will meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday for an informal lunch. with whom he will hold negotiations on Tuesday.
Putin and Xi, who have had tense relations with the United States in recent months, will hold a press conference following their talks.
The head of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi, presented the initiative a month ago in the Kremlin after doing the same with kyiv and european countries.
The Kremlin sees the Chinese leader’s visit as a boost amid the growing isolation the West has subjected Russia to since fighting began in Ukraine in February 2022.
peace in ukraine
As for Ukraine, the Chinese authorities have assured that the Asian giant is trying to play “a constructive role in promoting peace talks”.
China did not detail its president’s agenda and last Friday it limited itself to commenting that the visit “will be about friendship” and that it “aims to deepen mutual trust” between the two sides.
Beyond “pragmatic cooperation” and efforts to “jointly safeguard the stability of the industrial chain” and “give more positive energy to the global economic recovery”, all eyes will be on whether Beijing is able and willing to play a more proactive role as a mediator.
China, which insists it has always maintained “an objective and impartial position” on the war, would seek to intercede after doing the same between Iran and Saudi Arabia for both countries to renew diplomatic ties.
“Expectations that Beijing will play a more active role have increased since the latest mediation. But the truth is that resolving the Ukrainian conflict is beyond China’s will or capability. It depends on Russia and Ukraine”, comments academic Feng Yujun, of Fudan University, to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post.
with Zelensky
Before Xi’s trip, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba on Thursday, in which he assured that China will try to help Xi “Ceasement of hostilitiescrisis relief and restoration of peace between Ukraine and Russia”.
Xi has not yet communicated with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelenski, as US media had announced, even though Kiev is already preparing such a video conference.
Furthermore, the visit comes after CNN assured that Ukrainian soldiers found in their territory the remains of what would be a civilian drone manufactured by a Chinese company or that POLITICO denounced that Chinese companies, including a “connected to the Beijing government”they shipped 1,000 assault rifles and other equipment that could be used for military purposes to Russian entities.
China has denied on several occasions that it has sold arms to both sides and has ensured that the United States has “added fuel to the fire” to “foment” the conflict.
Three weeks before the war began, Xi and Putin strengthened their ties, even as China claims the close relations between Beijing and Moscow “They do not threaten any country” and that, in reality, they “advance the multipolarization of the world”.
Strategic Partners
Therefore, according to Chinese spokesmen abroad, the visit will also touch on topics such as the promotion of “connectivity” based on the projects of the New Silk Roads and the Eurasian Economic Union.
In this sense, the Kremlin has announced that the visit will lead to the signing of “a significant number” of bilateral agreements.
China was one of the countries that abstained from voting on a resolution condemning the Russian invasion at the United Nations Assembly, and while it did not explicitly support Moscow, it opposed sanctions against Russia because They don’t solve problems.
The Asian country recently released a statement on what it calls the “conflict” in Ukraine in which it defends respect for the sovereignty of all countries, the abandonment of the “cold war mentality” and the ceasefire.
He also called for “restraint” to “prevent the situation from spiraling out of control” and leading to a nuclear conflict, a proposal criticized by the West for putting “the aggressor and the victim” on the same level.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.