Pretoria News

Xi and Putin cement ties

CHINESE leader Xi Jinping arrived at the Kremlin yesterday for formal talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the Ukraine conflict a closely-watched matter on the agenda.

Xi entered the Kremlin on a red carpet and was greeted by a military band and senior Russian officials including Putin, as both nations seek allies to counteract Western power.

The Chinese leader’s Moscow visit has been viewed as a boost for Putin, who is under Western sanctions and subject to an International Criminal Court warrant over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

The Kremlin has said the two leaders would discuss proposals put forward by China to end more than a year of fighting in Ukraine, and that the talks were likely to end with Xi and Putin signing a string of agreements.

Xi earlier met Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and hailed Russia and China as “great neighbouring powers” on the second day of his visit to Russia.

Beijing and Moscow’s trade ties have boomed since Russia’s Ukraine campaign, linking the nations more closely and raising worries in Western capitals over how far the ties will go.

Xi, who said he had invited Putin to visit China this year, said China’s government would “continue to prioritise the all-round strategic partnership between China and Russia”.

“We are great neighbouring powers,” he said at his meeting with Mishustin.

Xi’s trip coincides with a surprise visit to Kyiv by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who visited Bucha, a town where Russian forces were accused of committing atrocities.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry described the trip as “historic” and called it “a sign of solidarity and strong co-operation between (Ukraine and Japan)”.

On Monday, Xi and Putin held four-and-a-half hours of talks, calling each other “dear friend”. In a rare move, Putin escorted Xi to his car after the talks. During that meeting, the Russian leader said he was open to talks on Ukraine and praised Beijing’s 12-point position paper on the conflict, which includes a call for dialogue and respect for all countries’ territorial sovereignty.

Xi and Putin are also expected to discuss boosting economic co-operation as Russia boosts energy exports to China after being mostly shut out of European markets.

Ahead of the talks, Russian gas giant Gazprom said supplies through the Power of Siberia pipeline to China had reached a daily record on Monday.

Xi’s visit came a day after Putin travelled to Mariupol in Ukraine, his first trip to territory captured from Kyiv since the start of the assault in February 2022.

China has sought to portray itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, but Washington has said Beijing’s moves could be a “stalling tactic” to help Moscow. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Xi’s Moscow visit “suggests China feels no responsibility to hold the president accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine”. |

WORLD

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2023-03-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://pretorianews.pressreader.com/article/281745568630166

African News Agency