Chinese top leader
Xi Jinping
will travel to Russia to meet President
Vladimir V. Putin
next week, in a visit that could have far-reaching implications for Moscow's war in Ukraine and troubled relations between Beijing and Washington.
Xi is expected to pay a state visit to Russia from Monday to Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin said in separate statements.
It will be his
first visit
to Russia since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.
Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds as he listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin via video conference from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 2, 2019. (Noel Celis/Pool Photo via AP, Archive)
Xi's trip will be closely watched by US and European leaders frustrated by China's diplomatic and economic support for Russia.
Although the two nations have not declared a formal alliance, Beijing maintains deep strategic ties with Moscow as a
kindred nuclear power
seeking to weaken Washington's geopolitical dominance.
Just three weeks before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin visited Beijing, where the two leaders declared their "limitless" friendship.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has warned that China is considering stepping up its support for Russia by providing it with weapons to use in Ukraine, a charge Beijing has denied.
Xi and Putin will meet Monday afternoon for a
one-on-one talk and lunch
, and the two leaders will also hold a press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said.
Goals
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, said Xi would use the visit to increase "mutual trust and understanding" between the two countries, which he said had "established a new paradigm for international relations."
At the same time, China would try to play a
mediating role
between Russia and Ukraine, he said.
"President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia this time is also for peace," Mr Wang said when asked if Xi would try to pressure Putin to seek a political settlement with Ukraine.
"China's proposal can be summed up in one sentence, which is to
persuade peace and promote talks
."
He also implicitly criticized Western countries' harshness in punishing Russia, stating that
"unilateral sanctions"
and "extreme pressure" would only worsen the crisis.
The Kremlin said that the talks between Putin and Xi would focus on the
"comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation
" between the two countries.
China has presented itself as one of the few neutral parties well positioned to negotiate a political settlement between Ukraine and Russia.
The country recently released a position paper calling for an end to the war, but was widely criticized by Western leaders for
lacking concrete plans
and avoiding demands that could undermine China's close ties with Russia.
Xi has tried to polish his image as a world statesman, notably with the announcement last week that Beijing had surprise brokered a deal to restore diplomatic relations between
Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The agreement came after extensive talks in which both parties expressed their willingness to restore relations.
Mediating in the Ukraine war would be a much bigger challenge, as neither Ukraine nor Russia seem willing to negotiate an end to the fighting.
It is unclear whether Xi will also meet or speak separately with Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Thursday, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and China spoke by phone in a rare official contact.
Dmytro Kuleba,
Ukraine's foreign minister, said the two discussed "the principle of territorial integrity."
China stated that its foreign minister, Qin Gang, told his Ukrainian counterpart that Beijing would "continue to play a
constructive role
in ending the conflict, mitigating the crisis and restoring peace."
Qin said China was concerned that the conflict would drag on and could "get out of control."
He urged both sides to "exercise restraint" and "resume peace talks as soon as possible," according to the ministry, while referring to the situation in Ukraine as a "crisis" rather than a war.
Wang, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, did not respond directly when asked whether the foreign ministers had discussed possible contact between Xi and Zelensky, saying only that China continued to "maintain communication with all parties."
Jake Sullivan,
the White House national security adviser, said Monday that the United States had been
encouraging Xi
to talk to Zelensky, in part to discourage China from supplying Russia with weapons.
"It would potentially bring more balance and perspective to how the PRC is approaching this," Sullivan said, using an abbreviation for PRC.
"And we hope it will continue to discourage them from choosing to provide lethal aid to Russia."
In addition to the war in Ukraine, Xi will also discuss with Putin how to further strengthen cooperation between their countries, Mr. Wang said.
Asked if Russia and China would seek a formal alliance, Wang said they were interested in a "new
type of great power relationship
."
"This is completely different from the practice of some countries, which cling to a cold war mentality, collude, engage in 'small circles' and factional clashes, and intimidate all around," he said.
Ivan Nechepurenko has contributed information.
c.2023 The New York Times Company
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