Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet in Beijing this week in a visit expected to underscore their shared vision for a new international order no longer dominated by the United States and its democratic allies.
This meeting between the world’s two most powerful autocrats comes as geopolitical fault lines harden globally – first following Russia’s grinding invasion of Ukraine, launched just three weeks after the leaders’ last meeting in the Chinese capital in 2022 – and now as Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas threatens to spiral into a broader conflict that could shatter stability in the Middle East.
Both Beijing and Moscow have criticized Israel’s actions and called for a ceasefire, in the latest showing of the two powers’ efforts to step up their alternative leadership to that of the US, which affirms Israel’s on-going right to retaliate.
Their meeting comes as it was confirmed US President Joe Biden would travel to Israel Wednesday, in a high-profile show of support for the country’s military operations that would also double as a warning to others in the region.
Xi and Putin are likely to discuss the situation during a meeting this week after Putin arrived Tuesday morning as a guest of honor at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing – an exceptionally rare foreign trip for the diplomatically isolated leader.
Heads of state, representatives and delegations from more than 140 countries are expected to attend China’s landmark, two-day diplomatic event beginning Tuesday, which marks 10 years since the start of Xi’s global infrastructure funding drive, and presents the Chinese leader with an opportunity to project Beijing’s growing global ambitions.
Push for peace?
The timing of the Beijing hosted forum, coming as Israel signals it may launch a ground invasion of the Hamas-governed Gaza strip, presents Putin with opportunity to shift the global spotlight away from his war in Ukraine, analysts say.
Moscow is expected to table a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, without naming Hamas, with its UN envoy on Friday comparing the day-after-day shelling of Hamas-controlled Gaza by Israel to the brutal siege of Leningrad during World War II.
At the other end of the historical spectrum, US President Joe Biden this weekend described Hamas’ attack as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
China has said it will send its envoy to the Middle East to encourage talks and condemned “all acts that harm civilians,” but it has not explicitly targeted that condemnation at Hamas, nor named the group in its statements.
During a flurry of diplomatic calls in recent days, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Israel’s actions have “gone beyond the scope of self-defense.”
Both countries’ statements stand in contrast to that of the US, which has made clear its staunch support for Israel – and signaled it does not feel this is the appropriate moment for a ceasefire.
Xi and Putin are expected to discuss the conflict in their upcoming meeting – where Russia’s war in Ukraine will also likely feature.
In that conflict, too, China has tried to position itself as a potential mediator.
But when its comes China’s interest in pushing the Russian leader to end his invasion, Xi may be cautious not to take any step that could damage relations.
That’s especially as he is likely watching a potential shift in global positions on the conflict, amid signs of changing attitudes at least in some parts of Europe – and an upcoming election in the United States next year could trigger a significant shift in the level of US support for Ukraine.
“So far we don’t see any sign that China is keen to use its upper-hand (to put pressure on Russia),” said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor of international relations at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
“Chinese policymakers don’t want to see even the slightest level of distrust between Beijing and Moscow.”
Source: CNN
BDST: 0916 HRS, OCT 17, 2023
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