IRIA News

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on October 17, 2023, along with several other world leaders who gathered to participate in the Belt and Road Summit arranged by China on the 10th anniversary of its ambitious global infrastructural project.

China is one of the first countries outside the former Soviet Union states that Putin has opted to visit after the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March, accusing the Russian leader of illegally deporting children from Ukraine. China is not a member of the ICC.

Putin is among the highest-profile guests at the Belt and Road Summit, which also hosts diplomats and representatives of more than 140 countries as well as the prime ministers of Hungary, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Cambodia, and the presidents of Kenya and Chile. The Russian President was welcomed with a guard of honor as he came out of his plane in Beijing.

In an interview with Chinese state media, Putin praised China’s BRI project. “Yes, we see that some people consider it an attempt by the People’s Republic of China to put someone under its thumb, but we see otherwise. We just see a desire for cooperation,” he told China’s state broadcaster, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin.

President Vladimir Putin arrives at the Third #BeltandRoad Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, takes part in the welcome & family photo ceremonies.

🇷🇺🇨🇳 🤝 President Xi Jinping greeted President Vladimir Putin on his arrival, the two Leaders had a brief conversation. pic.twitter.com/fQGk7n0kTr

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) October 17, 2023

Shadows of the Ukraine war and Israel-Palestine conflict

The theme of Putin’s visit to China and Beijing’s BRI Summit is being overshadowed by the ongoing security situation around the world, especially by the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict. The meeting between China’s President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to be focused on the ongoing situation in the Middle East as well as Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Both China and Russia have criticized Israel for its actions against the Palestinians and called for an immediate ceasefire, an appeal that does not resonate with the Western leadership and particularly with Washington.

Russia put forward a resolution at the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire. The motion was supported by China but rejected by the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. Russia’s UN envoy compared Israel’s day-after-day carpet bombing and shelling of Gaza to the brutal siege of Leningrad during World War II.

On the other side of the spectrum, Washington has described Hamas’s attacks on Israel as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The U.S. has been backing the State of Israel, both diplomatically and militarily, to carry out a decisive operation in Gaza and uproot Hamas.

BRI Summit

In one of the biggest gatherings of international delegates and leaders since the ending of the zero-Covid policy, China aims to showcase the achievements and progress that it has made under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since its launch 10 years ago.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet was one of the first to arrive in Beijing for the summit. Followed by the leaders and delegated from several different countries.

Among the participants is also the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the only leader from an EU and NATO member state to participate in the grand event. “We consider you as a friend,” Xi told Orban as he met the Chinese President.

“You have actively supported jointly building the Belt and Road, and made contributions to promoting high-quality development of the Belt and Road cooperation,” Xi added.

Orban said that with President Xi Jinping’s personal care and support, Hungary-China relations have maintained sound development and achieved fruitful results in recent years. The investment and cooperation carried out by Chinese enterprises, including the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade Railway, have significantly promoted the economic and social development of Hungary.