BEIJING, China
Russian President, Vladimir
Putin met Thursday with counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing as he seeks greater
support from China for his war effort in Ukraine and his isolated economy.Vladimir Putin gets a financial lifeline while his counterpart Xi Jinping gets cheap gas as part of their 'no limits' relationship (Sergei Bobylev/TASS/dpa/picture alliance)
It is Putin's first trip
abroad since his March re-election and the second in just over six months to
China, an economic lifeline for Russia after the West hit it with unprecedented
sanctions over its military offensive in Ukraine.
Putin was greeted by Xi at a
grand welcoming ceremony outside central Beijing's Great Hall of the People,
footage by state broadcaster CCTV showed.
The national anthems of both
countries and martial tunes blared out as the two leaders met, kicking off a
two-day visit by Putin that is expected to see the countries deepen a
relationship they have declared has "no limits".
The Russian leader's arrival
came hours after he hailed his country's troops for advancing on "all
fronts" on the battlefield in Ukraine, following a major new ground
assault.
Xi, who returned last week
from a three-nation tour of Europe, has rebuffed Western criticism of his
country's ties with Moscow, enjoying cheap Russian energy imports and
access to vast natural resources, including steady gas shipments via the Power
of Siberia pipeline.
"This is Putin's first
trip after his inauguration, and it is therefore intended to show that
Sino-Russian relations are moving up another level," independent Russian
political analyst Konstantin Kalachev told reporters.
"Not to mention the
visibly sincere personal friendship between the two leaders."
But as the economic
partnership comes under close scrutiny in the West, Chinese banks fearing US
sanctions that might cut them off from the global financial system have begun
turning the screws on Russian businesses.
The Kremlin this week said the
two leaders would discuss their "comprehensive partnership and strategic
cooperation" as well as "define key areas of development of
Russian-Chinese cooperation and exchange views on international and regional
issues".
Putin, in an interview
published in Xinhua ahead of his visit, hailed Beijing's "genuine
desire" to help resolve the Ukraine crisis.
US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken, who met Xi in Beijing last month, warned China's support for Russia's
"brutal war of aggression" in Ukraine had helped Russia ramp up
production of rockets, drones and tanks -- while stopping short of direct arms
exports.
China claims to be a neutral
party in the Ukraine conflict and the foreign ministry in Beijing said the two
leaders will exchange views on "bilateral ties, cooperation in various
fields, and international and regional issues of common interest".
China-Russia trade has boomed
since the Ukraine invasion and hit $240 billion in 2023, according to Chinese
customs figures.
But after Washington vowed to
go after financial institutions that facilitate Moscow, Chinese exports to
Russia dipped during March and April, down from a surge early in the year.
An executive order by
President Joe Biden in December permits secondary sanctions on foreign banks
that deal with Russia's war machine, allowing the US Treasury to cut them out
of the dollar-led global financial system.
That, coupled with recent
efforts to rebuild fractured ties with the United States, may make Beijing
reluctant to openly push more cooperation with Russia -- despite what Moscow
may want, analysts said.
Eight people from both
countries involved in cross-border trade told AFP in recent days that several
Chinese banks have halted or slowed transactions with Russian clients.
According to Alexander Gabuev,
director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, the banks are
"operating on better-be-safe-than-sorry principles, which reduces the
volume of transactions".
"Finding out whether the
payments are related to the Russian military-industrial complex... is creating
a considerable challenge for Chinese companies and banks," he said.
Putin's post-election trip to
Beijing echoes Xi's own visit to Russia after his re-anointing as leader last
year.
Experts expect this week's
highly symbolic meeting to result in toasts to the "no limits"
partnership, as well as some deals signed and pledges to increase trade.
The two leaders are set to
sign a joint declaration following the talks, the Kremlin said, and attend an
evening marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Putin will also meet Premier
Li Qiang -- China's number two official -- and travel to the northeastern city
of Harbin for a trade and investment expo.
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