Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stress mutual friendship in Moscow. “But the reality is also that Russia can’t find buyers for its oil and gas and that China benefits.”
We doubt it: Xi and Putin probably get along on a personal level. “They have known each other for ten years,” says Russia correspondent Joost Bosman. “They are also seen in each other’s eyes: both authoritative and almost nominated for life. Furthermore, they are both very much against the Western liberal world order. They certainly find themselves in this ».
But the fact that the two praise each other during Xi’s visit to Moscow has more than just that warm bond. “Russia can hardly lose its oil and gas after the Western boycott,” says Bosman. ‘So he has to look for other markets. China is one of them.”
Putin had no choice
China knows how to take advantage of this. “Look at Gazprom’s annual figures. Then you see that the turnover has grown enormously while the profit has decreased by a third. This means that the Chinese have bought a lot of gas at a very low price. So they negotiated very sharply because Putin had no other choice.’
China expert John-Boy Vossen concurs: ‘Economically, Russia is nowhere near as important to China as the United States and Europe. But the fact that Beijing can now buy oil and gas at a rather low price obviously does not mean no.’
China as a peacemaker
Furthermore, according to Vossen, Xi has another reason for going to Moscow, and that is China’s position in the Ukrainian conflict. “The country is very eager to take on America’s role as a peacemaker in the world,” she says. “This war is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that it can play a crucial role in very large conflicts.”
While you may question loyalty, even Bossen admits. “A possible video call with Zelensky is offset by a great three-day visit to Moscow.”
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.
