Flattery and war talks: First details emerge from Putin-Xi meeting
Photo: Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, May 20, a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin began in Beijing. The leaders are discussing bilateral partnership issues as well as the war in Iran, according to CNN.
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Putin immediately attempted to flatter the Chinese leader by using a local saying: “One day apart feels like three autumns.”
For his part, Xi Jinping made a statement regarding the war in Iran. He stressed that it needs to end “as quickly as possible” in order to reduce disruptions to global energy supplies.
The Chinese leader also stated that “the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and transformation.”
“The international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and transformation, while unilateral hegemonic currents are running rampant,” Xi said, using language commonly employed by Beijing to criticize what China sees as excessive US dominance in foreign policy.
Xi Jinping added that, given the current circumstances, China and Russia must strengthen their “comprehensive strategic coordination.”
The Kremlin said that Russian and Chinese delegations had already held talks in a narrow format in Beijing, while an expanded-format meeting is currently underway.
Putin is making his 25th official visit to China during his quarter-century in power in Russia. During that time, Moscow and Beijing have significantly deepened coordination in trade, diplomacy, and security.
Today’s talks between Putin and Xi Jinping are expected to focus on further expanding their “no limits” partnership, while also giving both leaders an opportunity to discuss Trump’s visit and the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
Putin’s visit to China
As previously reported, Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived in China on May 20. The Kremlin described the trip as part of “routine contacts” between Moscow and Beijing.
The meeting comes shortly after Xi Jinping’s talks with US President Donald Trump.
This is already the second time this year that the Chinese leader has held diplomatic contacts with Trump and Putin almost back-to-back.
In early February, Xi Jinping separately spoke by phone with the US president and the Kremlin chief within just a few hours of each other.
Earlier, media reports said that during his visit to Beijing, Putin would once again try to persuade Xi Jinping to support the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. This marks the Kremlin’s fifth attempt in the past four years to push the project forward.
