![]() ![]() His mission since 2000 has been to restore and secure Russia’s status as a great power. Putin took power as president in 2000, nine years after having witnessed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which he had served as a KGB officer. Putin was born in 1952, Xi in the year after. Since then he and Putin have met almost forty times. A Close but Precarious Friendship When Xi became president in 2012, his first state visit went to Moscow. Xi will maintain his friendship with Putin as long as he stays in power, but now with grinding teeth. To stand up against the US, NATO and their economic sanctions, Putin counts on China’s help. He would not otherwise have needed to display the nuclear card. In the present triangular game, Putin plays with the weakest hand. Ukraine has asked China to help mediate a ceasefire. Together with countries such as India, Iran and Vietnam, China has taken an ambiguous position between Russia and the West. ![]() In the UN, China has neither defended nor condemned Russia’s war of aggression. These threats challenged another of China’s principles: no first use of nuclear weapons, and created immediate fear of a nuclear World War III. When launching the invasion, Putin also warned those who might be tempted to “stand in our way” that “ Russia’s response will be immediate and lead you to consequences you have never encountered in your history.”Ī few days into the invasion, he declared that his nuclear forces had been put on high alert. By invading Ukraine, Putin has set his strategic partnership with China at risk.Īlthough Xi shares Putin’s opinion that the US has undermined the security of Eastern Europe by expanding NATO’s membership, Putin’s war of aggression violates one of China’s most cherished principles: non-interference in the internal affairs of other sovereign states. China has become Russia’s main trading partner, buying oil, coal, gas and food, and selling industrial products. It has given China security along the Sino-Russian border, and has prevented rivalry between them in the Central Asian republics. By invading Ukraine, Putin has set his strategic partnership with China at risk. ![]() This partnership has become closer and closer since Xi took the helm as China’s leader in 2012. Its close relationship with Russia is therefore a strategic partnership. Photo: The Russian Presidential Press and Information OfficeĬhina does not have and does not want any military alliances. ![]()
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