MOSCOW — When Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Russia on Monday for a high-profile visit, President Vladimir Putin wasn’t there to welcome him.
It wasn’t a snub, though.
The custom in Russia is for a lower-ranking Cabinet member to greet visiting guests at the airport.
According to many analysts, the conflict in Ukraine has rendered Russia more and more reliant on China for assistance as it distances itself from the West.
Yet Putin stuck to the plan, and Xi’s trip began like any other foreign leaders.
As soon as Xi stepped off the Boeing 747, Putin dispatched Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko to the Vnukovo airport in the Russian capital to greet him.
In contrast, the Russian president was far away in the heart of Moscow, preoccupied with other obligations before his crucial meal with Xi that evening.
Putin attended a meeting of the top representatives of the Interior Ministry to start his day. He also spoke to a gathering of African lawmakers during a parliamentary session.
The national anthems of China and Russia were being played by a Russian military band when Xi arrived at the airport. He then proceeded to pass by a row of honorary guards while being escorted by Chernyshenko.
A Russian military band was playing the national anthems of China and Russia.
Putin praised Xi when he welcomed him inside the Kremlin before a special dinner, even if he didn’t defy tradition and pamper him with a surprise visit at the airport.
After shaking hands, Putin turned to face Xi across a tiny table and praised what he called China’s “colossal leap forward” under Xi’s leadership, adding that he feels a little envious – a comment that prompted a slender smile from Xi.
Even though Putin hasn’t stated his desire to run for president next year, Xi answered in kind by saying he was confident that Putin would enjoy substantial support.
They dined on a seven-course meal that took them around 4 1/2 hours to complete. Dishes included a Pacific seafood buffet, sterlet soup (small sturgeon soup), quail and mushroom pancakes, and roasted deer in cherry sauce. Putin and Xi again shook hands as Xi exited the building.
In an article that appeared in China’s leading daily People’s Daily before the meeting, Putin referred to
Xi’s visit provides a major political boost for Putin
Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” and said it presents a “wonderful opportunity for me to meet with my good old friend with whom we share the closest friendship.” The Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Is it not a delight to have friends coming from afar!” He also wrote in detail about their first encounter in 2010, noting that they had met about 40 times.
Only days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president on suspicion of suspected complicity in the abduction of hundreds of children from Ukraine, Xi’s visit provides a major political boost for Putin.
Despite Moscow’s dismissal of the action as “legally null and void” and denial of the court’s jurisdiction, it increased pressure on the Russian president.
Putin and Xi will hold official meetings on Tuesday following their private dinner on Monday, which senior officials from both nations will also attend. Following the negotiations, definitive announcements are anticipated from them.
He claimed that China saw “absolutely no upsides” in getting rid of Putin
According to analysts, Western sanctions have increased Russia’s reliance on China.
China has significantly greater clout in this relationship, according to senior scholar at the Carnegie Endowment Alexander Gabuev, who has extensively researched relations between the two countries.
Gabuev pointed out that despite increasing Western pressure, it is possible to expect Xi to continue to support Putin strongly.
He claimed that China saw “absolutely no upsides” in getting rid of Putin because doing so would not result in any rewards or relationship-building benefits from the United States.
The alliance with Beijing would allow the Russian leader to continue his course in Ukraine even if the majority of analysts believe that Beijing will not provide Moscow with the military help that the United States and other Western allies fear.
Chris Weafer, CEO and Russian economy analyst at the consulting company Macro-Advisory, stated that this helped Moscow maintain its defiance in the face of Western sanctions. “As long as Russia can conduct trade with China and other Asian nations, there is no risk of financial collapse or being compelled to make a tactical retreat.”
SOURCE – (AP)
