IRIA News

China’s President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on March 20, 2023, to sit down with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss China’s peace plans for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. However, the U.S. remains skeptical of any breakthrough to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Chinese President received a warm welcome from Vladimir Putin upon his arrival at the Kremlin for a dinner. Putin addressed Xi as his “dear friend” flaunting his powerful relations with the world’s second-largest economy.

Russia’s state-owned news agency reported that the two leaders held a bilateral meeting for more than four hours on the first day, with more meetings to come on the following days. In a rare moment, Putin also escorted Xi back to his car at the end of the dinner and meeting.

President Xi Jinping is on his first overseas visit after obtaining an unprecedented third term as the president of China. China has been playing an active role to proclaim itself as the peacemaker for the ongoing feud between Russia and the western allies. However, several western leaders and particularly Washington have denounced China’s efforts stating Beijing is proving a “diplomatic cover” to the atrocities of the war and crimes carried out by the Russian leadership.

China’s foreign ministry released a statement on the meeting between the two leaders on March 21, saying that the two presidents “had an in-depth exchange” of opinions on Ukraine.

According to the Chinese leader, most countries support easing tensions, stand for peace talks, and oppose “adding fuel to the fire,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry added. Xi assured Putin that “China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.”

Chinese President Xi stressed that “there is a profound historical logic for [the] China-Russia relationship to reach where it is today. Chinese Foreign Ministry statement highlighted that China and Russia are neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners, and both countries see their relationship “as a high priority in their overall diplomacy and policy on external affairs”.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, “China always upholds an independent foreign policy. To consolidate and develop well China-Russia relations is a strategic choice China has made on the basis of its own fundamental interests and the prevailing trends of the world. China is firm in keeping to the general direction of strengthening strategic coordination with Russia.”

Both China and Russia are committed to “realizing national development and rejuvenation”, supporting a multi-polar system, and working for “greater democracy” in international relations, the statement added.

Beijing’s Peace Proposal

In February 2023, China’s foreign ministry released a 12-point position paper regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. The paper urges all the parties to take the path of peace and negotiations to end the ongoing crisis.

The paper asks to remove unilaterally imposed sanctions and emphasizes the importance of establishing humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike last year. It also calls for an end to the “Cold War mentality”, which is Beijing’s standard term for what it regards as global dominance by the United States and its interference in world matters.

China’s peace proposal was also brought up during the discussion between the two leaders. Russian President said that Kremlin has “carefully studied” China’s proposals and promised “an opportunity to discuss this matter”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said before the meeting that “China’s proposition boils down to one sentence, which is to urge peace and promote talks”.

Russian Elections 2024

China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that President Xi noted that “Russia will hold the presidential election next year, and under President Putin’s strong leadership, Russia has made good progress in development and rejuvenation. President Xi said he is confident that the Russian people will continue to give firm support to President Putin”.

Xi also reassured the Russian president that he would support him in his quest to become the Russian president again in the 2024 elections. Putin’s administration has been in power in Russia since 1999 when he took the office after Boris Yeltsin resigned. He has become the longest-serving leader of Russia since Joseph Stalin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out later that President Xi’s statement does not confirm whether he would participate in the elections or not, but in fact, it reaffirms China’s shared confidence in the Kremlin administration. So far, Putin has not confirmed his participation in the next elections.

World reacts to Xi’s visit to Moscow

As the Chinese leader meets the Russian counterpart, the U.S. and European leaders watch with high anticipation. Leaders from the western bloc have shown a mixed reaction to Xi Jinping’s Moscow trip. Top officials from Ukraine and European Union have been calling on the Chinese leader to use his influence to press Moscow into ending the war in Ukraine.

A Spokesperson for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said that “We hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, and schools, to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis”.

The skepticism surrounding the recent developments in Moscow is mostly coming from Washington. The U.S. has been accusing China of supplying weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine. Upon being asked what the U.S. is expecting from China’s peace efforts, the White House spokesperson John Kirby said that a cease-fire now would be “effectively the ratification of the Russian conquest”.

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “President Xi is traveling to Russia days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine, and instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those very crimes.”

Putin’s arrest warrants

Xi became the first world leader to meet Putin after his arrest warrants were released by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Putin along with Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova have been allegedly held responsible for the unlawful deportation and transfer of the population, including children, from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

Moscow said the charge was one of several “clearly hostile displays” and opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and judges. Beijing said the warrant reflected double standards. U.S. President Joe Biden backed the decision saying it was “justified.” “He’s clearly committed war crimes,” Biden told reporters, referring to Putin. “Well, I think it’s justified,” Biden added. “But the question is, it’s not recognized internationally by us either. But I think it makes a very strong point.”