{"id":4870,"date":"2023-03-17T17:58:53","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T17:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4870"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:53:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:53:25","slug":"chinas-xi-jinping-meets-with-putin-as-beijing-seeks-bolder-global-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/chinas-xi-jinping-meets-with-putin-as-beijing-seeks-bolder-global-role\/2023\/03\/17\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"China’s Xi Jinping meets with Putin as Beijing seeks bolder global role"},"content":{"rendered":"

KYIV,<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> (Brussels Independent in Collaboration with AP )<\/span> \u2014<\/span> Chinese<\/span> President<\/span> Xi<\/span> Jinping<\/span> plans<\/span> to<\/span> visit<\/span> Moscow<\/span> next<\/span> week,<\/span> offering<\/span> a<\/span> major<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> boost<\/span> to<\/span> Russian<\/span> President<\/span> Vladimir<\/span> Putin<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> same<\/span> day<\/span> the<\/span> International<\/span> Criminal<\/span> Court<\/span> announced<\/span> it<\/span> wants<\/span> to<\/span> put<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> leader<\/span> on<\/span> trial<\/span> for<\/span> alleged<\/span> war<\/span> crimes.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Xi’s<\/span> visit<\/span> was<\/span> the<\/span> latest<\/span> sign<\/span> of<\/span> Beijing’s<\/span> emboldened<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> ambitions,<\/span> and<\/span> came<\/span> amid<\/span> sharpening<\/span> East-West<\/span> tensions<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> now<\/span> in<\/span> its<\/span> 13th<\/span> month.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> U.S.<\/span> on<\/span> Friday<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> would<\/span> oppose<\/span> any<\/span> effort<\/span> by<\/span> China<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> meeting<\/span> to<\/span> propose<\/span> a<\/span> ceasefire<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> \u201cratification<\/span> of<\/span> Russian<\/span> conquest.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>White<\/span> House<\/span> National<\/span> Security<\/span> Council<\/span> spokesman<\/span> John<\/span> Kirby<\/span> encouraged<\/span> Xi<\/span> to<\/span> reach<\/span> out<\/span> to<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> President<\/span> Volodymyr<\/span> Zelenskyy<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> his<\/span> country’s<\/span> perspective<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> and<\/span> avoid<\/span> any<\/span> \u201cone-sided\u201d<\/span> proposals.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> has<\/span> sought<\/span> to<\/span> project<\/span> itself<\/span> as<\/span> neutral<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> conflict,<\/span> even<\/span> while<\/span> it<\/span> has<\/span> refused<\/span> to<\/span> condemn<\/span> Moscow’s<\/span> aggression<\/span> and<\/span> declared<\/span> last<\/span> year<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> had<\/span> a<\/span> \u201cno-limits\u201d<\/span> friendship<\/span> with<\/span> Russia.<\/span> Beijing<\/span> has<\/span> denounced<\/span> Western<\/span> sanctions<\/span> against<\/span> Moscow,<\/span> and<\/span> accused<\/span> NATO<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States<\/span> of<\/span> provoking<\/span> Putin’s<\/span> military<\/span> action.<\/span> During<\/span> the<\/span> conflict,<\/span> China<\/span> has<\/span> insisted<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> sovereignty<\/span> and<\/span> territorial<\/span> integrity<\/span> of<\/span> all<\/span> countries<\/span> should<\/span> be<\/span> respected.<\/span> However,<\/span> it<\/span> remains<\/span> unclear<\/span> whether<\/span> he<\/span> sympathizes<\/span> with<\/span> Moscow’s<\/span> claim<\/span> to<\/span> seize<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> territory.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> remain<\/span> bogged<\/span> down<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> war<\/span> of<\/span> attrition<\/span> centered<\/span> on<\/span> these<\/span> areas<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Donbass<\/span> region<\/span> of<\/span> eastern<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> Putin<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> his<\/span> first<\/span> visit<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> regional<\/span> summit<\/span> in<\/span> Uzbekistan<\/span> in<\/span> September.<\/span> Earlier,<\/span> Putin<\/span> attended<\/span> the<\/span> opening<\/span> ceremony<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> 2022<\/span> Winter<\/span> Olympics<\/span> in<\/span> Beijing<\/span> and<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> President<\/span> Xi<\/span> shortly<\/span> before<\/span> sending<\/span> troops<\/span> to<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> spokesman<\/span> Dmitry<\/span> Peskov<\/span> said<\/span> Friday<\/span> that<\/span> Putin<\/span> and<\/span> President<\/span> Xi<\/span> Jinping<\/span> will<\/span> meet<\/span> one-on-one<\/span> at<\/span> an<\/span> informal<\/span> dinner<\/span> on<\/span> Monday.<\/span> A<\/span> broader<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> officials<\/span> from<\/span> both<\/span> countries<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> range<\/span> of<\/span> issues<\/span> is<\/span> scheduled<\/span> for<\/span> Tuesday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Kiev<\/span> not<\/span> only<\/span> wants<\/span> Russia<\/span> to<\/span> withdraw<\/span> from<\/span> territory<\/span> it<\/span> has<\/span> held<\/span> since<\/span> her<\/span> February<\/span> 2022<\/span> all-out<\/span> invasion.<\/span> Zelensky<\/span> has<\/span> also<\/span> called<\/span> on<\/span> Russia<\/span> to<\/span> withdraw<\/span> from<\/span> Crimea,<\/span> which<\/span> Russia<\/span> annexed<\/span> in<\/span> 2014,<\/span> a<\/span> move<\/span> that<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> condemned<\/span> illegal<\/span> in<\/span> most<\/span> parts<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> world.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> Putin<\/span> has<\/span> no<\/span> intention<\/span> of<\/span> abandoning<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin’s<\/span> achievements.<\/span> Instead,<\/span> on<\/span> Friday<\/span> he<\/span> emphasized<\/span> the<\/span> importance<\/span> of<\/span> holding<\/span> Crimea.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Obviously,<\/span> security<\/span> issues<\/span> are<\/span> a<\/span> top<\/span> priority<\/span> for<\/span> Crimea<\/span> and<\/span> Sevastopol,”<\/span> he<\/span> said,<\/span> referring<\/span> to<\/span> Crimea’s<\/span> largest<\/span> city.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Chinese<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Qin<\/span> Gang<\/span> said<\/span> Thursday<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> speech<\/span> to<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Dmitro<\/span> Kuleva<\/span> that<\/span> Beijing<\/span> was<\/span> concerned<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> war<\/span> would<\/span> spiral<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> control<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> urging<\/span> talks<\/span> with<\/span> Russia<\/span> toward<\/span> a<\/span> political<\/span> solution.<\/span> .<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russia<\/span> could<\/span> use<\/span> the<\/span> ceasefire<\/span> to<\/span> regroup<\/span> and<\/span> “allow<\/span> it<\/span> to<\/span> resume<\/span> its<\/span> attacks<\/span> on<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> when<\/span> it<\/span> chooses,”<\/span> he<\/span> warned.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> argues<\/span> that<\/span> China<\/span> has<\/span> its<\/span> own<\/span> territorial<\/span> disputes<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> Taiwan<\/span> must<\/span> be<\/span> seized<\/span> by<\/span> force<\/span> if<\/span> necessary.<\/span> Tensions<\/span> between<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> and<\/span> Russia<\/span> escalated<\/span> further<\/span> this<\/span> week<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> US<\/span> drone<\/span> was<\/span> destroyed<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Black<\/span> Sea<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday<\/span> after<\/span> an<\/span> encounter<\/span> with<\/span> Russian<\/span> fighter<\/span> jets.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Putin<\/span> invited<\/span> Xi<\/span> to<\/span> Russia<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> teleconference<\/span> in<\/span> late<\/span> December.<\/span> Putin<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> visit<\/span> “shows<\/span> the<\/span> whole<\/span> world<\/span> the<\/span> strength<\/span> of<\/span> Russia-China<\/span> relations”<\/span> and<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> “the<\/span> most<\/span> important<\/span> political<\/span> event<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> year<\/span> in<\/span> bilateral<\/span> relations”.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Chinese<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Ministry<\/span> spokesman<\/span> Wang<\/span> Wenbin<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Friday<\/span> that<\/span> Xi<\/span> and<\/span> Putin<\/span> would<\/span> discuss<\/span> “bilateral<\/span> relations<\/span> and<\/span> important<\/span> international<\/span> and<\/span> regional<\/span> issues<\/span> of<\/span> common<\/span> concern.”<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KYIV, Ukraine (Brussels Independent in Collaboration with AP ) \u2014 Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes. Xi’s visit was […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,24,280,2425,2480,2482],"tags":[2057,2073,2058,2059,2060,2061,2062,2063,2064,2065,2066,2067,2068,2069,177,2070,1288,2071,2056,2072],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/chinaoutin.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4870"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4870"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4873,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4870\/revisions\/4873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}