Chinese President Xi Jinping made a historic visit to Moscow on Monday, March 20th, amid Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine. Through an official communique ahead of Xi’s Moscow visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his glee at reuniting with his old friend Xi after a decade. Putin’s statement was published in the Chinese media People’s Daily.
Notably, Xi made his maiden foreign trip to Russia after being elected the President of China for the first time in 2013. According to political experts, since 2013, Xi and Putin have been working together to strengthen bilateral ties between China and Russia.
Experts believe that China and Russia’s efforts towards establishing a multipolar world, multilateralism and world peace have helped both countries reach strategic consensus on various international issues.
Putin, who was in Donbass, expressed his enthusiasm for the “unprecedented understanding” between Russia and China in a message before Xi’s Moscow visit. Putin said that Russia and China have been working for a long time to build a regional and global security system that would never harm a third state.
Upon his arrival, Xi referred to Russia as a ‘friendly neighbour’ saying, “China and Russia are friendly neighbours and reliable partners connected by shared mountains and rivers. Ten years ago, I paid my first state visit to Russia as Chinese President, and together with President Putin, opened a new chapter in the all-round development of China-Russia relations.”
He also emphasised the political policies taken by the two countries for sustainable world peace.
“Over the past decade, our two countries have consolidated and grown the bilateral relationship on the basis of no-alliance, no-confrontation and not targeting any third party, and set a fine example for developing a new model of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation”, Xi was quoted as saying.
Experts said that Xi’s Moscow visit came at a crucial juncture, giving his visit a special significance. Pursuant to them, China and Russia have been providing strategic support to each other in various international affairs for a long time and are aiming to buttress that mutual trust in the future.
Just as China has received Russian support for its “One Belt One Road” initiative for regional and global development, Russia’s “Eurasian Economic Union” for regional development has received Chinese support.
Besides, a report published in the Global Times mentioned that China wants to propose to mediate the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. China, which opposes US-Western intervention in Ukraine, said Russia’s initiative to end the Ukraine conflict through talks and dialogues is indeed commendable.
According to the US media, Xi may also call on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aiming to mediate the Ukraine conflict after his Moscow visit.
