SPECULUM VERUM
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday 30 December want to strengthen military cooperation with China, during a meeting by videoconference with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, praising the resistance of Moscow and Beijing in the face of Western "pressure".
“In the context of unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West, we defend our positions of principle”, launched Vladimir Putin, before announcing wanting to “strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and China”. According to him, “Coordination between Moscow and Beijing on the international scene (…) serves the creation of a just world order based on international law..
Xi Jinping's visit to Russia "in the spring"
"Military and technical cooperation that contributes to the security of our countries and the maintenance of stability in key regions has a special place" in Russian-Chinese cooperation, he pointed out. Then , the president stressed that the two powers “intend to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and China”.
Faced with heavy Western sanctions because of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia has been seeking in recent months to strengthen its ties with Asia, especially with China, which, however, refrained from supporting the Russian attack against its neighbor. Vladimir Putin also announced on Friday that his counterpart would come "in the spring" 2023 in Russia for “a state visit”, which will be a first since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moscow and Beijing present themselves as a geopolitical counterweight to the United States and its allies. They have conducted several joint military exercises in recent months, including naval maneuvers this week in the East China Sea. Russia is also trying to increase its gas supplies to the Chinese economy, heavy consumer of hydrocarbons, especially since the Europeans are determined to get rid of their Russian energy dependence.