17-5-2024 (BEIJING) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have condemned what they described as increasingly aggressive US behavior and pledged to deepen their countries’ already close defense and military ties. The joint statement, issued during Xi’s state visit to Russia on May 16, represents a clear snub to Washington’s efforts to drive a wedge between the two nations.
During their talks, Xi emphasized that China and Russia see eye to eye on a range of important issues, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, and vowed to resist pressure from the West to downgrade their ties. “The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it,” Xi told Putin, adding that China is willing to work together to “uphold fairness and justice in the world.”
The joint statement voiced concerns over what were described as US efforts to violate the strategic nuclear balance, Washington’s global missile defense initiatives that threaten Russia and China, and US plans for high-precision non-nuclear weapons. This stance underscores the two nations’ shared view of the United States as a common adversary.
Putin, on his first overseas trip since being inaugurated for a new presidential term, described Moscow’s and Beijing’s cooperation in world affairs as one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena. “Together, we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law,” Putin told Xi.
The meeting comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent trip to China, where he attempted to persuade Beijing to scale back its relationship with Moscow, an effort that appears to have been unsuccessful. The “no limits” partnership proclaimed when Putin visited Beijing in February 2022, just days before invading Ukraine, remains intact.
By choosing China as his first foreign destination since being sworn in for a six-year term, Putin is sending a clear message about his priorities and the depth of his personal ties with Xi. The joint statement emphasized deepening the strategic relationship between the two nations, specifically mentioning plans to step up military ties and cooperate in the defense sectors to improve regional and global security.
Xi and Putin also condemned initiatives to seize assets and property of foreign states, a clear reference to Western moves to redirect profits from frozen Russian assets or the assets themselves to support Ukraine. On the Ukraine crisis, Xi said both sides agreed that a political settlement was a step in the “right direction,” adding that China and Russia were opposed to a drawn-out conflict or its potential transition to an uncontrollable phase.
