The relationship between China and Russia seems to have taken a new direction. President Putin spoke at length yesterday in Moscow with Wang Yi, former foreign minister and now top adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping. “For the first time, Putin used a very small table, a symbol of close friends.”
Both countries are full of positivity for each other, says Chinese expert Ardi Bouwers. “The air was filled with that.” Beijing wants to play a constructive role in the Ukrainian crisis. And according to both countries, Russia and China are important for world peace and stability. “This is a little hard for Western ears to digest. But they want to radiate that message.’
According to Bouwers, who also teaches Chinese culture and politics at the University of Amsterdam, support for Russia is very important to China. Both countries also agreed that President Xi will travel to Moscow soon to meet with Putin.
Vital interest
Economically, things are different. For China, cheap raw materials from Russia are attractive, but “not of vital importance”. The country is primarily aiming for an important geopolitical position in the world, says Bouwers. China has already indicated that it wants to talk about a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. It seems that Xi himself is setting up a dove of peace role. For the United States and Europe, this is not very credible until China strongly condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine.’
“Their anti-American vision clearly appeals.”
However, developing countries, “the global south,” see things differently, thinks Bouwers. Countries like India, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey are sensitive to Russia’s basic message that the war is the US’s fault and that the US is adding fuel to the fire. “This message is certainly well received.”
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Anti-Americanism
China appears to be working on a new world order there. “China is not saying it wants to become the world’s largest, but it does want a multipolar world where everyone has their place,” says Bouwers. China is trying to appear neutral. But their anti-American view is supported by all kinds of non-Western countries. That vision clearly appeals to that.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
