China’s main diplomat Wang Yi is traveling to Russia to have discussions about security, as Moscow looks for ongoing assistance for its conflict with Ukraine.
China, a strong friend of Russia, is being accused of indirectly helping Russia during the war. However, China denies these claims.
He came to visit after Vladimir Putin met with Kim Jong Un from North Korea. The US was worried that they might make an agreement about weapons.
Russian media reports that Mr. Wang’s trip will prepare the way for Mr. Putin to make an important visit to Beijing in the near future.
Earlier this month, Mr Putin said he planned to meet with President Xi Jinping of China, but he did not specify the date or time of the meeting.
Some people think it’s probable that he will go to the Belt and Road Forum in the upcoming month.
He hasn’t gone to another country since the International Criminal Court said he did something wrong in March and wants to catch him for it. Putin last went to other countries in December 2022 when he visited Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.
China’s foreign ministry stated that Mr. Wang is currently in Russia for four days to discuss and analyze matters related to strategic security.
According to Russian news agency Tass, the Kremlin said that he would meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and the war in Ukraine would be an important topic of discussion.
They will also talk about increasing the number of Nato forces and infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as improving their coordination in international organizations like the UN.
China wants the Ukraine war to stop so it can fix its relationship with Europe. However, it doesn’t want to hold anyone responsible for the war because it supports Russia.
She said inviting Putin to China is a way to show support for Russia. But supporting Russia must also be seen as an effort to get Russia to the negotiating table. This is important so that China doesn’t make its position worse with the Europeans.
Mr Wang’s visit follows a few days after Mr. Putin’s very much talked-about greeting of Mr. Kim in the far east of Russia. The US claimed that the purpose of this visit was to discuss the sale of weapons from North Korea to Russia. It is believed that Moscow doesn’t have enough weapons and ammunition.
Russia and North Korea recently discussed helping each other with military activities and providing assistance for North Korea’s satellite program.
Mr Kim has finished his trip to Russia, according to the Korean Central News Agency on Monday. According to Russian and North Korean media, he is going home with some gifts which include a Russian-made gun, a glove worn by an astronaut, a vest that protects against bullets, a hat made of fur, and some military flying machines.
When asked about Mr. Kim’s trip last week, China’s foreign ministry chose not to comment, stating that it was “something between their two countries. ”
But some experts think that if North Korea and Russia are supporting each other, China probably knows about it or even approves of it, because China has strong relationships with both countries.
These relationships go beyond socialist beliefs and their common lack of trust in the US and the West. Beijing has been a crucial source of economic support for Pyongyang by trading with them. In recent times, Beijing has also started buying more Russian oil and gas, which has become significant for Moscow.
Whatever is going on between Russia and North Korea cannot happen without China knowing about it. According to Alexander Korolev, an expert on the relationship between China and Russia, I don’t believe they would work together in military matters without Beijing’s permission.
China might consider North Korea as a helpful ally for Russia in the Ukraine conflict.
Allowing North Korea and Russia to work together in the military is a way for Russia to benefit without damaging its reputation much. It might say that North Korea’s bad government is to blame, even though other people aren’t involved. “He said it would be a good idea if this happens. ”
Mr Wang is visiting Russia after meeting with Jake Sullivan in Malta. In addition to the relationship between the US and China, the two men also talked about security in the region and the war in Ukraine, as stated by the US and China.
Mr Korolev said it is uncertain if China would put pressure on North Korea to stop cooperating, even though the US is discussing this with China. “If China wanted to follow America’s approach, they had more than a year to end the war but they chose not to,” he said.
The US has accused China of helping Russia with money and important technology since the war started.
A report from US intelligence, published in July, stated that Beijing is using different ways to help Russia’s economy, in order to reduce the impact of sanctions from Western countries and restrictions on exports.
This text mentions that China is buying more energy from Russia, using its currency more for transactions with Russia, and likely providing technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, like drones, to Ukraine.
China has always denied these claims and says it stays neutral in the war.
The country has made its own plan to bring peace to Ukraine. They shared the plan when their leader visited Moscow and met with the President earlier this year.