issuing time:
An article in Le Monde on Thursday wrote that today Putin expects Xi Jinping to support Xi not so much in actions as in words. Tmur Umarov, an expert on Sino-Russian relations and Central Asia at the Carnegie Endowment in Moscow, said, “Russia is trying to push China to speak out against the West (…). Putin’s expectations for the Samarkand summit are China’s Be more outspoken against American global hegemony.
The first meeting between Russian and Chinese heads of state Xi Jinping and Putin since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine was highlighted in Le Monde on Thursday. The article co-authored by Lemaître Lemaître and Greenspan at Le Monde noted that Putin sought support from Xi Jinping for the anti-West.
A related article said Xi and Putin had spoken to each other but had not met since Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24. However, days before Russia’s so-called special military operation began, the two signed a major strategic agreement in Beijing on February 4, specifying that the friendship between the two countries is “unlimited”. It was unclear whether Putin had spoken to Xi at the time about his intentions to invade Ukraine. Temur Umarov, an expert on Sino-Russian relations and Central Asia at the Carnegie Endowment in Moscow, said, “When Russia launched the war against Ukraine, it did not consider Beijing’s interests, nor did it consider Beijing’s reaction, or even The interests and reactions of other countries were not taken into account, so Moscow’s actions were not based on the support of any country.”
Today, Putin’s expectation of Xi Jinping is not so much that he expects Xi Jinping to give support in actions, but rather to expect Xi Jinping to give support in words. Tmur Umarov said, “Russia is trying to push China to speak out against the West[…]. Putin’s expectation for the Samarkand summit is for China to be more outspoken against US global hegemony.
The related article goes on to say that since February 24, China has unanimously agreed with Moscow’s interpretation of the conflict, that is, China agrees that the root cause of the conflict is NATO’s expansion in Central Europe. However, while Beijing condemns Western sanctions, Beijing has not violated Western sanctions. China’s Global Times said in an editorial on September 14 that “China has never been involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict” and that China “has always advocated respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.”
The same article in Le Monde wrote that Beijing’s support for Moscow was reflected in the fact that Xi has not had a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since February. Separately, Li Zhanshu, China’s No. 3, said unequivocally as he prepared for the Xi-Putin meeting in Moscow earlier this week: “We fully understand the need for all measures Russia is taking to safeguard its fundamental interests. We Help is being provided through coordinated action.”
Li Zhanshu also said that on all international issues, China supports Russia’s national interests (…), and the same goes for Ukraine. The United States and NATO are rushing to Russia’s door, threatening Russia’s national security. Russia did what it should do to protect itself. Facing the United States, she is only exercising her right to self-defense, she has no choice.
Li Zhanshu’s remarks faithfully followed the Kremlin’s line and were widely reported on Russian television.
The Le Monde article also pointed out that while China increased its purchases of Russian oil and coal in the first half of the year, by nearly 100% between February and June, China does not appear to be providing military assistance to Moscow. China is very cautious and strictly abides by international sanctions against Russia. Tmur Umarov predicted that in the short term, Chinese companies are unlikely to provide Russia with military technology, but in the future, China may establish special mechanisms to provide Russia with military technology, just as China has done to Russia. Iran and North Korea do in order to evade sanctions while exporting technology. “
Moscow recently had to turn to Iran and North Korea for its military equipment needs. Evan Feigenbaum, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said, “Beijing’s goal is to maintain a strategic understanding with Moscow in order to counteract growing economic pressure from the United States and the West on China. But it wants to Do this without having to support Moscow at the tactical level, as it wants to continue to be able to access world markets, avoid Western sanctions, and build relationships with Central Asian countries that fear Russia.”
The article published in Le Monde pointed out that on international issues, especially on the Ukraine issue, Central Asian countries are very worried, and Central Asian countries are worried about the rise of Russian imperialism.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, interpreted in the former Soviet republics as an attempt by Russia to restore hegemony, has been judged negatively. In particular, Russia’s recent rhetoric toward these Central Asian countries has also become more threatening. Several Russian leaders questioned Kazakhstan, sometimes saying it was “man-made” or “recently established.” Therefore, Xi Jinping said this in the capital of Kazakhstan on Wednesday: “No matter how the international situation develops, we will firmly support Kazakhstan in defending its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the future.