Chinese President Xi Jinping all set to meet Russia's Putin, here's what we can expect

Chinese President Xi Jinping is all set to hold a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan. The meeting between the two leaders comes amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The two leaders are due to meet on Friday, September 16, in Samarkand on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). 

The meeting between Xi and Putin comes after the talks held between them in February. The two leaders had met before the Russian invasion of Ukraine when Kremlin leader Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Xi Jinping is making his first trip overseas since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jinping's last foreign visit was to Myanmar in January 2020 before Beijing imposed lockdowns in Wuhan. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi Jinping from September 14 to September 16 will attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand and visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Significance of meeting: Where China stands on the war

Notably, Xi Jinping's visit comes amid a fresh set of lockdown restrictions in China to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and tensions with Taiwan and the US after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island. Putin's meeting with Xi Jinping comes at a time when the West continues to impose sanctions against Moscow and Ukraine's claim about liberating its territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Ukraine's forces have liberated more than 6000 square kilometres of their territory since the beginning of early September. It is pertinent to mention here that China has not criticized Russia after Moscow's offensive in Ukraine and continued its trade operations with Moscow. Beijing's purchases of Russian oil and gas increased by nearly 60% in August over a year ago to $11.2 billion. Earlier this month, Gazprom allowed China's state-owned China National Corp. to make payments in Russian rubles or Chinese yuan instead of dollars. 

Xi Jinping-Putin meet in Uzbekistan

As Xi Jinping and Putin are all set to meet in Uzbekistan, Kremlin has underscored that the talks between the two leaders are 'particularly important.' Kremlin foreign policy spokesman Yuri Ushakov stated that Putin will hold a meeting with other leaders including those of India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Iran. However, Ushakov noted that the meeting between Xi Jinping and Putin "is of particular importance," BBC News reported. Yuri Ushakov stressed that the meeting between the leaders of Russia and China "has a special significance in view of the current international situation." He stated that the two leaders will exchange views on bilateral ties, regional issues, and the international situation.

Ushakov also announced that Russia and China will "thoroughly" discuss the Ukraine situation as Beijing has taken a "well-balanced" position on the Ukraine crisis. Kremlin's foreign policy spokesman stressed that the cooperation between China and Russia has "remained stable and continued gaining tempo" amid the "unlawful" sanctions imposed by the West. He further said, "the discussion of issues related to trade and economic cooperation is particularly important."

Alexander Gabuev, an expert on Russia-China ties, highlighted that the main characteristic of current stage of ties between Moscow and Beijing is "their asymmetry in favor of China.” Gabuev noted that China "has more options and more bargaining power than Russia." 

“China has taken a well-balanced approach to the Ukrainian crisis, clearly expressing its understanding of the reasons that prompted Russia to launch the special military operation,” Ushakov said. “The issue will be thoroughly discussed during the meeting," Yuri Ushakov said as per AP. 

Inputs from AP

Image: AP