Significance of President Xi Jinping visit to Russia

Published: March 22,2023

Staff writer 

Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to Russia on the invitation of his counterpart Vladmir Putin is a strong manifestation of the good bilateral relations between the two countries. China and Russia share a common border as well as common interests.  The two countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as members of the multilateral cooperation such as BRICS. The discussions of the two leaders focused on bilateral, multilateral and global issues. Xi visit to Russia therefore, was primarily aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, peaceful coexistence and global stability.

President Xi has been to Russia on the invitation of his counterpart several times and therefore, there is nothing out of the ordinary for his trip to Moscow this time round. It is expected and the norm among good neighbors much as the Russian president has visited China on different occasions. Although the U.S and the rest of the west have interpreted the visit as intended to show diplomatic support to Russia on the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, this is misplaced and outrageousspeculation aimed at taking back the world to the cold war mentality. 

The confirmation by president Xi during his visit to Russia that China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, was applauded by many countries around the world many of which have been affected by increased food prices and the cost of living, due to disruption of food supply chains.  Since the beginning of the Russia- Ukraine conflict, China has not taken sides and has been neutral instead requesting both sides to embrace political dialogue.

As China recently brokered successful peace negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, there is much hope that President Xi commitment to a peaceful and lasting solution to the Russia- Ukraine conflict can be reached in the near future if the west stops fuelling the conflict. 

On the other hand, the U.S and its NATO allies are providing billions of dollars military aid to Ukraine which has not helped to end the war but escalated the conflict. In fact, China’s proposal to send a delegation to Ukraine in the coming week in an effort to find a diplomatic settlement of the conflict which is a good step in the right direction. The quest by China for Russia and Ukraine to make peace is a testimony of China’s foreign policy that adheres to the five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence that clearly express the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. 

Unfortunately, The United States opposes a ceasefire in Ukraine and rejects settlement proposals put forward by China. The U.S interest to keep the war going is not surprising. In 1961, the U.S former president Dwight Eisenhower warned that “an immense military establishment and a large arms industry” had emerged as a hidden hand in US politics. Today, experts point out that from Iraq to Syria and Afghanistan, the US military-industrial complex, fueled by huge economic gain makes the US a war monger to make profit on arms sales and multi billion military contracts. 

The issuing of an indictment by the ICC to Russian President Putin at a time president Xi planned his visit to Moscow is a political ploy by the U.S and its allies to implicate China as an accomplice in the alleged war crimes. This is the usual smear campaign of the west against Russia and China. First of all, the ICC indictment to Putin is null and void since Russia is not a member of the ICC. Secondly, the issuance of the indictment shows the hypocrisy of the west and double standards, as no U.S presidents, past and present have ever been indicted for serious war crimes committed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, to name but a few.