Xi’s Meeting With Putin Was Less About Ukraine and More About the US

China and Russia may not see eye to eye on everything, but in the face of a perceived common threat, they need each other more than ever. 

This is the mutual understanding that underscores the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Moscow this week, as the two leaders put up a spectacle of bonhomie, toasting to friendship in a state reception and lavishing praise on each other’s country. 

By the end of Xi’s state visit on Wednesday, it became categorically clear what the priority of the trip was. On Tuesday, the two leaders emerged with deals that further bind their economies and offered blunt criticisms of the U.S. and its allies—but no sign of progress in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Cementing the “no-limits partnership” the two countries declared before the invasion last year, the two agreements fleshed out details of their bilateral cooperation, covering a broad swathe of issues from climate change to AI and internet governance. 

They also took it a step further by taking aim at Washington. “It's very explicit for the first time in terms of identifying the United States as a major threat for both China and Russia,” Alexander Korolev, a senior lecturer on international relations at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, told VICE World News. Instead of making shaded reference with terms such as “certain countries with hegemonic ambitions,” the two countries are unequivocal in naming the U.S. and its allies as source of concern.

The results of the summit confirmed skepticism that Xi’s trip could yield a breakthrough in the Ukraine conflict.

Speaking in a joint conference on Tuesday, Putin endorsed the peace plan put forward by China and said it could be taken “as the basis” for a peaceful settlement, but blamed the West and Kyiv for not being on board. “So far we see no such readiness from their side,” Putin said. 

Xi, who described the talks as “candid, friendly and fruitful,” stressed that China holds an “impartial position” on the conflict in Ukraine. Despite China’s claim of neutrality, the 12-point position paper Beijing issued last month has been criticized for parroting Kremlin talking points. 

“China repeats a lot of general mantras about diplomatic ways of resolving conflicts and peaceful coexistence,” Korolev said. “But I think the real substance is in the fact that it frames these documents in a way not to irritate Russia too much and to signal that China is not going to turn its back on Russia.” 

While Xi is expected to get on a virtual call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with his latest show of support for Putin few are expecting anything to come out of the conversation.

“China sees no merit in helping the U.S. to solidify its security standing and its role in Europe,” said Una Aleksandra Berzina-Cerenkova, head of the Asia program at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, adding that China would not push for a resolution of the conflict that entailed Ukraine joining NATO and thus expanding the Western defense alliance.

“I do not believe that really ensuring peace and stopping bloodshed was the goal here. What has been achieved is China has used this as a platform to boost its global visibility and presence,” said Berzina-Cerenkova.

“The main goal is to put up a show for the Americans to show unity. And they’ve succeeded in that,” she added. 

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