[President Vladimir V. Putin and
President Xi Jinping of China, meeting in a video summit, sought mutual support
in their conflicts with the West but have not yet declared a formal alliance.]
By Anton Troianovski and Steven Lee Myers
Xi Jinping addressed Vladimir V.
Putin as his “old friend,” and the Russian president called his Chinese
counterpart both his “dear friend” and his “esteemed friend,” as the two
leaders held a video summit on Wednesday — a display of solidarity in the face
of Western pressure over Ukraine, Taiwan and many other matters.
In footage of opening remarks
released by the Kremlin, Mr. Putin said he would attend the opening ceremony of
the Beijing Olympics in February, making him the first leader of another
country to confirm he would come to the event that Mr. Biden has
already pledged to boycott, as have the leaders of Australia, Canada, New
Zealand and others.
During the meeting, Mr. Xi voiced
support for Mr. Putin’s demands for
“security guarantees” from the West that would effectively preserve a Russian
sphere of influence in parts of Eastern Europe, according to the
Kremlin. That fast-moving diplomatic push, coupled with alarming troop
movements near Russia’s southwestern borders, has Western officials fearing
a possible Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine in the coming
months.
Chinese officials did not
immediately make public their own version of the meeting, which the Kremlin
said lasted about an hour and a half. The Kremlin said that Mr. Putin concurred
with Mr. Xi’s critical view of Western military activity in the Asia-Pacific
region, such as Australia’s deal
to deploy nuclear-powered submarines with American and British
backing.
Mr. Xi, noting that he was meeting
Mr. Putin for the 37th time since 2013, praised the Russian president for
thwarting attempts to “drive a wedge between our countries.” He said the two
countries were “defending the true meaning of democracy and human rights,”
according to the Russian translation of his remarks as the virtual summit
began.
That message appeared meant to
strike a contrast with the Summit
for Democracy that Mr. Biden hosted last week, which was widely viewed
as an effort to build a united front against Russia and China
The two countries, once
adversaries, have formed an ever-tighter economic, military and geopolitical
partnership under Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi — one that increasingly looks like a
bloc against American influence as both countries’ confrontations with the
United States deepen. Mr. Xi told Mr. Putin that while Russia and China are not
formally allies, “in its closeness and effectiveness, this relationship even
exceeds an alliance,” according to a Kremlin aide, Yuri V. Ushakov, who briefed
reporters in Moscow on the meeting after it ended.
The talks came at a high-stakes
moment. Karen Donfried, the American assistant secretary of state for European
and Eurasian affairs, was in Moscow on Wednesday for talks on Ukraine; Russian
officials presented her with a proposal demanding that the West roll back its
military support for Ukraine and rule out the expansion of the NATO alliance to
include Ukraine or other countries in the region.
Mr. Xi “underlined that he
understands the Russian concerns and fully supports our initiative about
working out such security guarantees for Russia,” Mr. Ushakov said.
There was also the signal that as
the United States and its allies threaten crushing economic sanctions against
Russia were it to assault Ukraine, Moscow has plenty of other friends in the
world.
The Russian president’s trip to New
Delhi last week to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India sent a
similar message. On Wednesday, Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi even discussed forming an
“independent financial infrastructure,” Mr. Ushakov said, apparently in an
effort to reduce their reliance on Western banks and their vulnerability to
sanctions.
“A new model of cooperation has
been formed between our countries — one based on foundations like
noninterference in domestic affairs and respect for each others’ interests,”
Mr. Putin told Mr. Xi.
Both Russia and China frequently
accuse the West of interfering in other countries’ domestic affairs and
disrespecting their interests.
In one symbol of their bond, Mr. Xi
and Mr. Putin spoke with the Chinese and Russian flags in the frame behind them
— unlike Mr. Putin’s videoconference last week with Mr. Biden, when Mr. Putin
spoke next to only the Russian flag.
For Mr. Xi, the summit was a chance
to deflect criticism that has been piling up over China’s actions from the
South China Sea to the mountainous border with India. He hopes to show that
China is not isolated diplomatically, especially on the eve of the Winter
Olympics, which are intended to showcase China’s global stature, not the
souring of its relations with much of the world.
“I expect that in February of next
year, we will finally meet in person in Beijing,” Mr. Putin told Mr. Xi. “We
have unfailingly supported each other in questions of international athletic
cooperation, including in not accepting any attempts to politicize sports or
the Olympic movement.”
Cheng Xiaohe, a professor at the
Renmin University’s School of International Studies in Beijing, said the
relationship between the two countries gave their leaders the opportunity to
demonstrate “mutual support and joint confrontation” with the United States.
That is especially true at a time of economic uncertainty and rising
international tensions.
“Both China and Russia face the
same pressure from the United States,” he said. “Therefore, the two countries
need to support each other in diplomacy.”
The two men meet or speak often —
though only virtually since the pandemic began. What was unusual about
Wednesday’s meeting was China’s effort to telegraph its message in advance.
“Close strategic coordination”
between the two countries, as a spokesman for the foreign ministry put it this
week, is essential in today’s turbulent world.
The two countries have deepened a
relationship that over the decades has been fraught with suspicion and, in
1969, a border clash near Khabarovsk.
When Russia faced punitive
sanctions following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Mr. Putin turned to China
to soften the blow, stepping up trade across the border from energy to timber.
That same year, Russian public opinion of China improved sharply; 70 percent of
Russians now have a positive attitude toward the country, according to the
Levada Center independent pollster — far better than their view of the United
States, the European Union or Ukraine.
The militaries of both countries
have also stepped up joint exercises and even operations, including in the air
and, for the first time in October, naval patrols in the Pacific. They have pledged
to explore space together.
Before Wednesday’s call, Dmitry
Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space program, said that a proposed
Russian-Chinese lunar station “will be based on principles of equal
partnership, transparency and consensus in the decision making process” — in
contrast to the terms set by the United States in its lunar station project.
Even so, there are limits to this
united front. China has never recognized the annexation of Crimea, for example,
nor does Russia side with China on its expansive claims in the South China Sea.
They have also stopped short of binding themselves with a formal treaty
alliance, preferring to maintain their ability to act independently and
flexibly.
“I do not think they are yet at a
point where Beijing would endorse any adventurous action in Ukraine — nor would
Russia eagerly side with China if the Chinese decided to invade Taiwan,” said
Sergey Radchenko, a professor of international relations at Cardiff University,
who has written extensively on the relationship.
“I would imagine that they would
each show a degree of benevolent neutrality toward the other.”
Anton Troianovski reported from
Moscow, and Steven Lee Myers from Seoul. Claire Fu, John Liu and Khava
Khasmagomadova contributed research.
