The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, will meet in Beijing this week. Their meeting is expected to show that they both want a new international order where the United States and its democratic friends do not have all the power.
This meeting is happening between the two most powerful rulers in the world. It is happening at a time when tensions between countries are increasing, especially after Russia invaded Ukraine shortly after the leaders’ last meeting in China in 2022. Additionally, there is a war going on between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which could potentially escalate into a larger conflict and disrupt stability in the Middle East.
Both Beijing and Moscow are unhappy with Israel’s actions and want them to stop fighting. This is another example of how the two countries are working together to show they can lead instead of the US. The US supports Israel‘s right to fight back.
The two men are meeting because it was confirmed that US President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday. Biden is expected to strongly support Israel as they try to get rid of Hamas. At the same time, the US wants to find ways to help the people in Gaza who are suffering, and is warning other countries in the region to stay out of the conflict.
Xi and Putin will probably talk about the situation when they meet this week. Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday morning as a special guest for the Belt and Road Forum, which is a rare trip for him because he doesn’t usually travel abroad for diplomatic reasons.
Leaders, representatives, and groups from over 140 countries will attend a special event in China. This event celebrates 10 years since Xi Jinping started a project to fund global infrastructure. It is also a chance for Xi to show China’s increasing global goals.
Experts say that the timing of the forum that took place in Beijing, while Israel is considering a ground invasion of Gaza, gives Putin a chance to divert attention from the conflict in Ukraine.
Moscow plans to propose a resolution to the United Nations Security Council, asking for a ceasefire. The resolution does not specifically mention Hamas. On Friday, the Russian UN representative compared the continuous shelling of Gaza by Israel to the harsh blockade of Leningrad during World War II.
On the opposite side of history, President Joe Biden of the United States said that the attack by Hamas was the most awful killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust.
China has decided to send someone to the Middle East to help with negotiations and has criticized actions that hurt innocent people. However, they did not specifically blame Hamas or mention them directly in their statements.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Israel’s actions have gone too far and are no longer justifiable as self-defense.
Both countries’ statements are different from the US’s. The US strongly supports Israel and believes that now is not the right time for a ceasefire.
Xi and Putin will talk about the fighting in Ukraine during their next meeting.
In that fight, China has also tried to be a peacemaker.
However, when it comes to China’s desire to convince the Russian leader to stop invading, Xi might be careful to avoid doing anything that could harm their relationship.
This is because he is probably monitoring changes in world opinion about the conflict, especially in Europe. The upcoming US election next year could also cause a big change in how much support the US gives to Ukraine.
According to Li Mingjiang, a professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, we haven’t seen any indication that China wants to use its advantage to pressure Russia.
The Chinese government doesn’t want there to be any distrust at all between Beijing and Moscow.
Putin, who has rarely left the group of countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union since starting his war, is not welcome by Western countries and is being sought by an international court for possible war crimes. Experts say he doesn’t want to go anywhere if he doesn’t feel completely safe. Last week, he went on a trip to Kyrgyzstan, which was the first trip he made outside of Russian-controlled territory this year.
However, even though Putin’s situation has changed since his last visit to Beijing, the two leaders have become more similar in their ideas about how the world should be, which is different from what the West believes. They are trying to convince other countries to support their efforts to change the current global power balance, which they believe is unfair to them.
During an interview before the event, Putin spoke highly of Xi, saying he is a trustworthy leader who handles situations with calmness and practicality. Putin admires Xi’s way of dealing with other countries, which is not forceful or demanding, but rather offers chances for others.
The two leaders, who often talk about how close they are as friends, have gotten together 40 times in the last ten years. They have met two times since the war in Ukraine began. During their last meeting in Beijing, Xi and Putin made a 5,000-word statement saying that they are partners without any restrictions, and they strongly agree against the West.
Li in Singapore said that it will be a great chance for Putin to get attention on a global level and prove that Russia still has a strong ally in China by attending the forum.
“And it’s politically important for China to have a significant international figure like Putin join the BRI summit,” he said. In easier terms, the forum is expected to have leaders from developing and middle income countries that have less influence.
Russia attacked Ukraine and this tested the relationship between China and Russia. Western countries questioned China’s close relationship with Russia and wondered if China’s leader, Xi, knew about Russia’s plan in advance.
Beijing says it is not picking sides in the conflict and wants peace. Lately, it has been trying hard to be a mediator for peace. People are worried because China is very close to Russia, so this has made its relationships with Europe and the United States more tense.
But China, the second largest economy in the world, has also become an important support for Russia, which is facing sanctions. Russia now relies on China for buying goods and energy. The two countries have increased their cooperation in various fields since the war began.
In 2023, the trade between Russia and China reached its highest level ever and kept increasing. Experts say that they have improved security by doing more military exercises together and having frequent official discussions. They have also strengthened their diplomatic relationship, including the state visit of President Xi to Moscow which was an important trip for him.
According to Alex Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, China tries to create a clear separation from Russia when speaking to Western audiences, both in their words and actions.
“(However) even though they don’t officially call it a ‘no limits partnership,’ (the China-Russia relationship) has actually become stronger, more stable, and closer,” he said.