{"id":10087,"date":"2023-10-16T13:47:32","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T13:47:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/16\/xi-and-putin-to-reunite-in-beijing-in-show-of-solidarity-as-divisions-with-the-west-sharpen\/"},"modified":"2023-10-16T13:47:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T13:47:32","slug":"xi-and-putin-to-reunite-in-beijing-in-show-of-solidarity-as-divisions-with-the-west-sharpen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/16\/xi-and-putin-to-reunite-in-beijing-in-show-of-solidarity-as-divisions-with-the-west-sharpen\/","title":{"rendered":"Xi and Putin to reunite in Beijing in show of solidarity as divisions with the West sharpen"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing for the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics, they confidently outlined <\/strong>their vision for a new international order no longer dominated by the United States and its democratic allies. <\/p>\n

Now, nearly two years on, and with geopolitical fault lines hardening globally, the world\u2019s two most powerful autocrats are preparing to see each other again in the Chinese capital. <\/p>\n

The meeting comes under the shadow of conflict, with Russia\u2019s grinding invasion of Ukraine \u2013 launched just three weeks after the leaders\u2019 last get-together in Beijing \u2013 and Israel\u2019s war against Hamas, which now threatens to escalate regionally. <\/p>\n

Both Beijing and Moscow have criticized Israel\u2019s actions in response to a shock attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas last week and called for a ceasefire, in the latest showing of the two powers\u2019 efforts to step up their alternative leadership to that of the United States, which affirms Israel\u2019s on-going right to retaliate. <\/p>\n

Xi and Putin are likely to discuss the situation during a meeting this week as Putin arrives as a guest of honor at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing \u2013 an exceptionally rare foreign trip for the diplomatically isolated leader. <\/p>\n

Heads of state, representatives and delegations from more than 140 countries are expected to attend China\u2019s landmark, two-day diplomatic event beginning Tuesday, which marks 10 years since the start of Xi\u2019s global infrastructure funding drive, and presents the Chinese leader with an opportunity to project Beijing\u2019s growing global ambitions. <\/p>\n

A rare trip<\/h2>\n

Putin, who has seldom left the bloc of former Soviet nations since launching his war, is shunned by the West and wanted by an international court for alleged war crimes. Experts say he is also unwilling to travel anywhere he feels his personal security can\u2019t be absolutely assured. He made his first known trip of the year outside of Russian-controlled territory last week, with a visit to Kyrgyzstan. <\/p>\n

But despite Putin\u2019s changing circumstances since his last time in Beijing, the two leaders have become increasingly aligned in presenting an alternative world view to the one offered by the West \u2013 as they seek to bring more countries alongside their efforts to shift a global balance of power they feel is stacked against them. <\/p>\n

In an interview with China\u2019s state broadcaster ahead of the event, Putin lavished praise on Xi, calling the Chinese president \u201csteady, calm, pragmatic and reliable \u2013 a true world leader,\u201d and hailing his \u201cunique approach of dealing with other countries\u201d that has shown no imposition or coercion, but rather provided others with opportunities. <\/p>\n

Putin and Xi, who frequently refer to their close friendship, have met 40 times in the past decade, including twice since the start of the war in Ukraine. During their previous meeting in Beijing, the two men released a 5,000-word joint statement declaring a friendship with \u201cno limits\u201d and underscoring their deep alignment against the West. <\/p>\n

Attending the forum will be a significant opportunity for Putin to \u201cachieve international exposure \u2026 and show that Russia still has a strong friend in China,\u201d said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor of international relations at Singapore\u2019s Nanyang Technological University. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for China, having an important international player like Putin to join the BRI summit is also politically important,\u201d he added. Otherwise, the forum \u2013 the crowning event of Xi\u2019s diplomatic year \u2013 is largely expected to include leaders from less-influential developing and middle income nations. <\/p>\n

\u2018No limits\u2019 no more?<\/h2>\n

Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine put the growing China-Russia relationship to the test like no other event in recent history, placing Beijing under heavy scrutiny from Western nations for its close ties to its northern neighbor and raising questions about whether Xi had advance knowledge of Putin\u2019s plan. <\/p>\n

Beijing has since claimed neutrality in the conflict and called for peace, in recent months ramping up efforts to be seen as a potential peace broker, as concerns about its close ties with Russia further strained its relations with Europe and the United States. <\/p>\n

But the world\u2019s second largest economy has also become a key lifeline for a sanction-ridden Russia, which is now dependent on it for goods and energy purchases, and the two countries have deepened their interactions across a range of areas since the start of the war. <\/p>\n

Last year, Russia and China saw record trade, which continued to grow <\/strong>in 2023. They\u2019ve expanded security cooperation through more joint military drills and robust official dialogue, experts say, and continued to deepen diplomatic ties \u2013 including those of Putin and Xi, who earlier this year chose a state visit to Moscow as the symbolically significant first foreign trip of his third term as China\u2019s President. <\/p>\n

\u201cChina tries rhetorically and symbolically to put a certain distance between itself and Russia when it comes to talking to Western audiences,\u201d said Alex Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center think tank in Berlin. <\/p>\n

\u201c(But) even if it\u2019s officially not dubbed a \u2018no limits partnership,\u2019 (the China-Russia relationship) has become, in real terms, more solid, robust, and deep,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Push for peace?<\/h2>\n

The timing of the Beijing hosted forum, coming as Israel signals it may launch a ground invasion of the Hamas-governed Gaza strip, presents Putin with opportunity to shift the global spotlight away from his war in Ukraine, analysts say. <\/p>\n

Moscow is expected to table a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, without naming Hamas, with its UN envoy on Friday comparing the day-after-day shelling of Hamas-controlled Gaza by Israel to the brutal siege of Leningrad during World War II. <\/p>\n

At the other end of the historical spectrum, US President Joe Biden this weekend described Hamas\u2019 attack as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. <\/p>\n

China has said it will send its envoy to the Middle East to encourage talks and condemned \u201call acts that harm civilians,\u201d but it has not explicitly targeted that condemnation at Hamas, nor named the group in its statements. <\/p>\n

During a flurry of diplomatic calls in recent days, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Israel\u2019s actions have \u201cgone beyond the scope of self-defense.\u201d <\/p>\n

Both countries\u2019 statements stand in contrast to that of the US, which has made clear its staunch support for Israel \u2013 and signaled it does not feel this is the appropriate moment for a ceasefire. <\/p>\n

Xi and Putin are expected to discuss the conflict in their upcoming meeting \u2013 where Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine will also likely feature. <\/p>\n

In that conflict, too, China has tried to position itself as a potential mediator. <\/p>\n

But when its comes China\u2019s interest in pushing the Russian leader to end his invasion, Xi may be cautious not to take any step that could damage relations. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially as he is likely watching a potential shift in global positions on the conflict, amid signs of changing attitudes at least in some parts of Europe \u2013 and an upcoming election in the United States next year could trigger a significant shift in the level of US support for Ukraine. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo far we don\u2019t see any sign that China is keen to use its upper-hand (to put pressure on Russia),\u201d said Li in Singapore. <\/p>\n

\u201cChinese policymakers don\u2019t want to see even the slightest level of distrust between Beijing and Moscow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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