For The First Time Since The Invasion Of Ukraine, China’s Xi Will Go To Russia.

Next week, just over a year into Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Moscow and meet with his strategic friend Vladimir Putin there.

 

According to the Kremlin and Beijing’s foreign ministry, Xi will visit Russia from Monday through Wednesday.

 

China’s foreign ministry labeled Xi’s trip “a tour for peace” that intended to “exercise real multilateralism… strengthen global governance and make contributions to the growth and advancement of the globe”.

 

During a routine news briefing, Wang Wenbin, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said that the two leaders will discuss bilateral ties as well as significant global and regional concerns.

 

The globe has entered a new era of unrest, he claimed, as developments not seen in a century are swiftly unfolding.

 

“China will maintain its impartial and objective stance on the Ukrainian problem and contribute positively to the advancement of peace negotiations.”

 

The Kremlin said that the two leaders will “address expanding the comprehensive relationship and strategic collaboration between Russia and China” and “talk about strategic cooperation”.

 

A little more than a year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking a conflict that has put Moscow in an awkward position internationally.

 

China, a significant Russian ally, has attempted to present itself as a neutral party in the war and has urged Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate a settlement.

 

China advocated for discussion and respect for the territorial sovereignty of all nations in a 12-point position statement on the conflict published last month.

 

Yet Western politicians have criticized China for neglecting to denounce the invasion on several occasions, alleging that Beijing was giving Russia diplomatic cover for its attack.

 

China has vehemently dismissed US accusations that it is considering weapons supplies to back Russia’s conflict.

 

– China the broker of peace? –

 

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said in February that he intended to see Xi after China requested negotiations.

 

Whether he intended to do so was not confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday.

 

Nonetheless, the first phone contact between the foreign ministers of the two countries since China’s Qin Gang assumed office took place on Thursday.

 

According to an official readout, Qin encouraged Kiev and Moscow to resume peace negotiations “as soon as feasible” and said that “China is afraid that the issue might grow and go out of hand”.

 

Without going into specifics, his colleague from Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, said that they had spoken about “the importance of the concept of territorial integrity” during the conversation.

 

Once tumultuous communist friends, China and Russia have recently increased economic, military, and political collaboration as part of what they refer to as a “no boundaries” alliance.

 

Both sides have regularly emphasized the strong bond between Putin and Xi, who last month took office for a third five-year term, breaking with long-standing tradition.

 

Putin attended the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing last year, while Xi last paid a visit to Russia in 2019. The two presidents also got together in September at a regional security conference in Uzbekistan.

 

Xi, 69, also contributed to an agreement last week to mend relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran that was negotiated by China.

 

The content of what it suggests during discussions with officials from Ukraine and Russia will determine if (China) is genuinely ramping up its attempts to play peacemaker in a meaningful manner, according to Ja-Ian Chong, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore.