Russia and China deepen ties – What the messages of mutual support mean

Russia-China relations have been getting closer and closer since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the two countries now seeking closer ties. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held a teleconference today, Friday, with the Russian president clearly expressing to his Chinese counterpart his desire for military cooperation and Xi declaring his readiness for this step.

For about eight minutes and after the Russian president made sure to point out from the beginning that Russia’s ties with China are the “best in history”, he emphasized that Russia-China relations are becoming more important as a stabilizing factor and that the goal is to deepen the military cooperation between the two countries. Xi, for his part, said that China is ready to increase its strategic cooperation with Russia in the context of a “difficult” situation in the world in general.

“We are waiting for you, dear Mr. President, dear friend, we are waiting for you next spring on a state visit to Moscow. This will show the whole world the strength of Russian-Chinese ties on key issues,” Putin said in an invitation to the Chinese president at the start of the teleconference.

Ties between Moscow and Beijing have already begun to strengthen since Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on February 24. Just last week, Moscow and Beijing held joint naval exercises in the East China Sea.

Shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin and Xi had declared “borderless” cooperation when the Russian leader visited Beijing last February. However, mutual support between the two countries continued even after the war in Ukraine. China was one of those countries that categorically refused to criticize Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, while blaming the US and NATO for their attitude towards the Kremlin while at the same time criticizing the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.

Russia, in turn, has strongly backed China amid tensions with the US over Taiwan.

The mutual support of the two countries seems more imperative than ever as the internal problems they face are great. Putin is on the one hand trying to maintain domestic support for a war that has lasted longer than expected as the coronavirus nightmare returns to China as patients overwhelm hospitals and countries one by one put China in “quarantine”.

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