(BrightPress.org) – The president of China, Xi Jinping has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit China for the second time in under one year. Putin’s two-day visit was scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 16th. Putin’s stay in China is a full state visit and the latest demonstration that the two governments are united in opposing the U.S.-led world order.
China has politically backed Russia in the war against Ukraine and has provided tools, electronics, and other products useful to Russia’s war effort. China has not provided Russia with weapons or ammunition as a means of contributing to the war. China has also been buying discounted oil from Russia with a record purchase of 2.14 million barrels per day last year. Moscow has been China’s top supplier of oil for two years.
An anonymous Russian official said, “China is Russia’s strategic partner.” The anonymous source claims Putin and Xi have agreed to this partnership, and it will not change “no matter what the West tries to say or do.” It is expected that Putin will pressure Xi for more support for Russia’s war economy. China needs Russian support in the struggle for “geopolitical supremacy.” The two have declared a “no limits” partnership opposing Western leadership. Both countries would potentially benefit from a Russian triumph in Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in late April and cautioned Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat against increasing military support for Russia. Russia and China have been pursuing influential relationships with Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Both China and Russia have disputes with NATO.
Xi recently returned from a five-day trip to Europe where he visited Hungary and Serbia; two countries viewed as being close to Russia. Putin’s visit to China on Thursday is his first outing after being sworn into office for a fifth presidential term resulting from an election where he effectively wiped out his opposition.
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