the chinese president, Xi Jinping, arrives this Monday in Moscow in a “peace visit” after Beijing recently presented an initiative to settle the conflict between Russians and Ukrainians. As reported by the Kremlin on Friday, Xi will meet the same Monday for an informal lunch with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, with whom he will hold negotiations on Tuesday. Putin and Xi, who in recent months have had some strained relations with the United States, They will hold a press conference at the end of their talks. “We welcome China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis” in Ukraine, Putin said in an article written for a Chinese newspaper and published by the Kremlin, on the eve of a visit to Russia by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The head of Chinese diplomacy, Wangyi, He presented the initiative a month ago in the Kremlin after doing the same with kyiv and European countries. The Kremlin views the Chinese leader’s visit as a accolade amid the increasing isolation to which the West has subjected Russia since the start of the fighting in Ukraine in February 2022.
With regard to Ukraine, the Chinese authorities assured that the Asian giant seeks to play “a constructive role in promoting peace talks”.
China has not detailed the diary of its president and last Friday he limited himself to commenting that the visit “will be about friendship” and that “its objective is to deepen mutual trust” between both parties. beyond the “pragmatic cooperation” and efforts to “jointly safeguard the stability of the industrial chain” and “inject more positive energy into the global economic recovery”, eyes will be on whether Beijing can and is willing to play a more proactive role as mediator.
China, which insists that it has always maintained “an objective and impartial position” about the war, he would seek to intercede after doing the same between Iran and Saudi Arabia for both countries to reestablish diplomatic relations.
“Expectations that Beijing will play a more active role have risen after that last mediation. But the truth is that the resolution of the Ukraine conflict is beyond China’s will or ability. It depends on Russia and Ukraine,” says academic Feng Yujun, from Fudan University, to the Hong Kong newspaper ‘South China Morning Post’.
Before Xi’s trip, the Chinese foreign minister, Qing Gang, He had a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, in which he assured that China will try to help “a cessation of hostilities, the relief of the crisis and the restoration of peace between Ukraine and Russia”.
No communication with Zelensky
Xi has yet to communicate with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky, as the US media had advanced, although kyiv is already preparing said videoconference.
What’s more, the visit comes after CNN assured that Ukrainian soldiers have found the remains of what is apparently a civilian use drone manufactured by a Chinese company or that POLITICO reported that Chinese companies, including one “connected to the Beijing government”, sent Russian entities 1,000 assault rifles and other equipment that could be used for military purposes.
China has denied on several occasions that it has sold weapons to either side, and has assured that it is the United States that has been “throwing fuel on the fire” to “stir up” the conflict.
Three weeks before the war began, Xi and Putin strengthened their ties although China assures that the close relations between Beijing and Moscow “do not threaten any country” and that, in reality, “advance the multipolarization of the world.”
Strategic partners
Thus, the visit, according to Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesmen, will also deal with issues such as boost “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 sentencing resolution to the Russian invasion in the UN Assembly, and although he has not explicitly supported Moscow, he has opposed sanctions against Russia because “they don’t solve the problems”.
Related news
The Asian country recently issued a statement on what he calls the “conflict” in Ukraine in which he defends respect for the sovereignty of all countries, the abandonment of the “cold war mentality” and a ceasefire.
He also called the “moderation” to “prevent the situation from getting out of control” and leading to a nuclear conflict, a proposal criticized by the West for putting “the aggressor and the victimized” on the same level.