Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday on the sidelines of a summit in Uzbekistan that has been touted as an alternative to a Western-dominated world order.The two men will take part in a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Silk Road city of Samarkand as Russia seeks to overcome international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine.Putins talks with Xi this year will be of "of particular importance for Moscow, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said earlier this week.The latest negotiations with China are expected to focus on gas exports and broader trade relations as Moscow seeks more active Chinese help amid setbacks in its six-month invasion of Ukraine and economic problems triggered by Western economic sanctions.Its important for Putin to show Russia is not isolated from the rest of the world, Alexander Gabuev, a leading Russian expert on relations with China, told The Moscow Times.At the two-day summit, Putin will also meet with the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, India and Turkey, but much of the focus will be on bilateral negotiations with China.While Beijing has refused to condemn the Kremlins war against Ukraine, China has largely complied with sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, with some Chinese companies cutting ties with Moscow to avoid falling foul of the Western restrictions.Xi and Putin last encountered each other in February on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics, where the two announced a no limits friendship.China last week took part in military exercises involving 50,000 soldiers in Russias Far East along with troops from Russia, India and other Russia-allied nations.China certainly pursues only its own interests in relations with Russia, said Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.In many ways, these interests match with Russian ones, he said.
But, for Beijing, its much more pragmatic already buying Russias energy with a discount, its likely that China will increasingly impose its own conditions in future deals on Russias natural resources.Putin admitted earlier this month that our Chinese friends are tough bargainers.China has significantly increased its imports of Russian raw materials since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, albeit often at a significant discount.Chinese purchases of Russian crude, oil products, gas and coal reached $35 billion in the first five months of the war, up from $20 billion in the same period last year, according to Chinese customs data cited by Bloomberg.Russias state-owned gas giant Gazprom announced last month that China had agreed to pay for Russian gas imports in rubles and yuan instead of Western currency.The meeting between Putin and Xi is a way to secure economic deals, according to Gabuev, which often require a green light from top officials before they can go ahead.One likely outcome of the meeting is an agreement to boost Chinese technology exports to Russia, according to Temur Umarov, an expert on China and Central Asia at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.But such an agreement will probably be limited to sectors where there is no risk of Chinese companies falling afoul of Western sanctions imposed on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.In a bid to avoid being caught up in these Western sanctions, Chinese tech giant Huawei has reportedly begun moving staff from Russia to Central Asia and Chinas UnionPay payment system has limited operations with sanctioned Russian banks.China does want to go into isolation with Russia we see that some Chinese companies are quietly leaving Russias market and Chinese banks are not eager to open accounts for Russian clients, Umarov told The Moscow Times.Set up in 2001 as a Eurasian rival to Western political and security alliances, the SCO is made up of China, Russia, India, Pakistan and the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan."The SCO offers a real alternative to Western-centric organizations," Kremlin adviser Ushakov told reporters in Moscow this week.While economic questions are more complex, China is likely to be more forthcoming when it comes to declarations of political support for Moscow.One of the few issues on which Beijing is ready to support Russia fully is its rhetorical confrontation with the West, Umarov said.Moscow recently backed China over Taiwan, which Beijing sees as its breakaway province, calling United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island a "clear provocation."For China, the meeting is also an opportunity to show that, as an independent power with its own vision of the world order, it can cooperate with Russia no matter what Washington says, Gabuev told The Moscow Times.At the same time, Beijing is unlikely to risk any major disruption in its relations with major Western countries by helping Russia too much.China sees Russia as a weakening country, especially given Ukraines successful counteroffensive, Umarov said.Beijing, like no other, benefits from the current situation.





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting - It's Voluntary!


ADVERTISE


Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Lavrov Names Sanctions Relief and Return of Frozen Assets as Preconditions for Ukraine Ceasefire


[Russia] - Former Russian National Guard Official Arrested on Bribery, Abuse of Power Charges


[Russia] - Black Sea Oil Spill Reaches Abkhazia's Shores


[Russia] - Russian Anti-Terrorism Police Warn of Foreign Spying Disguised as Photo Contests


Russian Army Says It Seized First Village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region


[Russia] - Former Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit Found Dead With Gunshot Wound After Being Sacked by Putin


[Russia] - Russia Targets Emigres in Kazakhstan With Back Tax Demands


Ukrainian Drone Attacks Trigger Major Flight Disruptions at Russia’s Busiest Airports


[Russia] - New Details Emerge in Bribery Case Against Rusagro Founder


[Russia] - Far-Flung Kamchatka Peninsula Restricts Mobile Internet to Thwart Alleged Ukrainian Sabotage


Rosstat Stops Publishing Monthly Population Data Amid War Deaths, Demographic Crisis


[Russia] - Russian Gold Mining Tycoon Barred From Leaving Country Amid Nationalization Efforts


Putin Sacks Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit


[Russia] - Ukraine Says 4 Killed, Over 30 Wounded in Russian Strikes


Russia Says Captured 2 More East Ukraine Settlements in Donetsk and Kharkiv Regions


UN Condemns Russia's Largest Drone Assault on Ukraine


Trump Says He’s ‘Very Unhappy’ With Putin Call, Hints at New Sanctions


Russia Removes Peace Symbol from School Textbook Cover


[Russia] - Head of Moscow Region's Azerbaijani Diaspora Stripped of Russian Citizenship


Russia Adds 14-Year-Olds to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List


[Russia] - What Ukraine Is Missing as U.S. Holds Back Air Defense and Battlefield Weapons


[Russia] - Russian Firms Seek North Korean Translators to Support Influx of Workers


[Russia] - Dutch and German Intelligence Say Russia Increasingly Uses Chemical Weapons in Ukraine


[Russia] - Russia Carries Out 8th Prisoner Exchange With Ukraine Since Istanbul Talks


[Russia] - Professionals: Russia Recognizing Taliban Rule in Afghanistan Largely a Symbolic Move


Storm Batters St. Petersburg With High Winds, Rising Water Levels


St. Petersburg Naval Parade Canceled Over Security Concerns – Fontanka


[Russia] - Russian Car Market Expected to Contract by 24% This Year


[Russia] - Transneft Vice President Dies in Apparent Fall From Window, Reports Say


Russia Launches Largest Air Attack Since Invasion as Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Woman in Rostov


Russia Becomes First Country to Recognize Taliban Government


Chechnya's Dependence on Federal Funding Hits New High


No Way Home: The Exiled Russian Speakers Fighting Their Own War in Syria


[Russia] - Russian Tycoons Earn Record $20 Billion in Dividends Amid Recession Worries


[Russia] - Russians Report Nighttime Police Raids in Azerbaijan as Tensions Flare


Former Kremlin-Backed Mayor of Luhansk Killed in Explosion


Putin Congratulates Trump on U.S. Independence Day During Hourlong Call


[Russia] - Russian-Made Jet Prices Soar as Moscow Struggles to Ditch Boeing and Airbus


Teen Facing Death Threats From Family Disappears in Ingushetia, Rights Group Says


Britain Links Azerbaijani Traders With Rosneft Ties to Russia’s Shadow Fleet


[Russia] - Russian Deputy Navy Commander Killed in Kursk Region


Russia Moves to Nationalize Country’s Third-Largest Gold Mining Firm


Orenburg Mayor Resigns to Continue Military Service in Ukraine


Durov Hints at Anti-Telegram Smear Campaign as Russia Readies Homegrown Competitor


FSB Arrests Woman Who Tried to Place Bomb Under Defense Worker’s SUV


[Russia] - Elderly Woman Killed in Ukrainian Drone Strike on Lipetsk Region


Emergency Contraceptives Disappear from Russian Pharmacies – Vyorstka


[Russia] - Putin Signs Decree Seeking to Lure Foreign Investors Into Russian Stock Market


Khakassia Governor Vetoes Local Government Reform Bill


[Russia] - From Plane Crash to Deadly Arrests: What's Behind the Russia-Azerbaijan Standoff


[Russia] - Kids of Russian Soldiers Increasingly Placed in State Care, Regional Officials Say


Russian Companies See Sharp Rise in Wage Arrears


Putin Praises Kyrgyzstan for ‘Special Status’ of Russian Language


Azerbaijani and Russian Investigators in ‘Constant Contact’ Amid Diplomatic Crisis


Russia’s Natural Gas Exports to Europe Plunge to Historic Lows


Security Forces Raid Russia's Third-Largest Gold Producer Over Environmental, Safety Violations


[Russia] - Kremlin Welcomes Halt in U.S. Arms Shipments to Ukraine


Fatal Car Crash Sparks Anti-Roma Protests in Saratov Region


Foreign Automakers Scale Back New Model Launches in Russia


Anti-War University Student in St. Petersburg Released From Prison


Russia Eyes Industrial Levy to Shield Domestic Producers and Plug Budget Gaps