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15-09-2022, 11:59 AM
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...gles-mount
Shortly before invading Ukraine in February, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping declared a “no limits” friendship. Yet even as his forces suffer humiliating losses on the battlefield, Russia’s president shouldn’t expect much help at his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart since then.
Xi and Putin meet face-to-face in Uzbekistan on Thursday in their first sitdown since a Beijing meeting before the Winter Olympics that yielded a lengthy joint statement of more than 5,000 words. In it, they vowed to have “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation” in challenging the US-led global order and pushing for a multipolar world.
Yet China appeared caught off guard when Putin invaded Ukraine a few weeks later. Officials in Beijing initially struggled to both support Russia and avoid endorsing a clear violation of sovereignty -- a pretext that could be used to justify foreign intervention in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
But while trade has picked up even as the US and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, Beijing has stopped short of sending military supplies or financial support that might make it a target of such restrictions. And, despite recent fears among some financial investors, Beijing’s position is unlikely to change even if Putin on Thursday asks Xi for military assistance in Ukraine following heavy Russian losses in recent weeks.
“Chinese officials talk about a partnership ‘without limits,’ but Russia and China have always agreed to disagree on numerous issues,” said Elizabeth Wishnick, a senior research scientist at the CNA, a security think tank in Washington.
“I don’t think Chinese military aid to Russia is likely due to the sanctions and strong international opprobrium that would ensue,” she added.
Shortly before invading Ukraine in February, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping declared a “no limits” friendship. Yet even as his forces suffer humiliating losses on the battlefield, Russia’s president shouldn’t expect much help at his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart since then.
Xi and Putin meet face-to-face in Uzbekistan on Thursday in their first sitdown since a Beijing meeting before the Winter Olympics that yielded a lengthy joint statement of more than 5,000 words. In it, they vowed to have “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation” in challenging the US-led global order and pushing for a multipolar world.
Yet China appeared caught off guard when Putin invaded Ukraine a few weeks later. Officials in Beijing initially struggled to both support Russia and avoid endorsing a clear violation of sovereignty -- a pretext that could be used to justify foreign intervention in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
But while trade has picked up even as the US and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, Beijing has stopped short of sending military supplies or financial support that might make it a target of such restrictions. And, despite recent fears among some financial investors, Beijing’s position is unlikely to change even if Putin on Thursday asks Xi for military assistance in Ukraine following heavy Russian losses in recent weeks.
“Chinese officials talk about a partnership ‘without limits,’ but Russia and China have always agreed to disagree on numerous issues,” said Elizabeth Wishnick, a senior research scientist at the CNA, a security think tank in Washington.
“I don’t think Chinese military aid to Russia is likely due to the sanctions and strong international opprobrium that would ensue,” she added.
