Putin, Xi, Discuss Strategic Cooperation For 2023
Video-call on December 30 discussed global geopolitics, trade and security
One of the more fascinating relations to have developed over 2022 is that between Moscow and Beijing, with Presidents Putin and Xi in regular communication over issues such as global geopolitics, trade, and security. The discussions held via video link last Friday (December 30) were the first between Putin and Xi since the latter was re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in October, and the new CPC Five Year Plan announced.
The call came just days after Russia’s Deputy Chair of State Security, Dmitri Medvedev, met with Xi Jinping in Beijing. We outlined the background to that meeting here.
Xi assured Moscow of Beijing’s readiness to increase strategic cooperation with its neighbor and “be global partners.” Putin stated that concerning the Russian-Chinese partnership, “In the context of soaring geopolitical tensions, the importance of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership as a stabilizing force is growing,” noting that relations between the two countries demonstrated maturity, stability, continued to expand “dynamically” and they are “the best in history.”
Moscow and Beijing have tended to share the same views on the causes and course of the transformation of the geopolitical landscape. Putin emphasized that Russia and China are defending their positions of principle while protecting the interests of both of their nations and all those who advocate for a truly democratic world order and the right of countries to freely determine their fate.
The Chinese President also stressed the close strategic contract with the Russian President: “Under our joint leadership, the Chinese-Russian comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction in the new era demonstrates resistance to stress.”
Xi also assured Putin that China “in the face of a simple and far from unambiguous international situation” is ready to “increase strategic cooperation with Russia, provide each other with development opportunities, and be global partners.”
The Chinese President is expected to pay a state visit to Moscow next spring, with Putin stressing that this visit “will show the strength of Russian-Chinese ties on key issues to the world and will become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.”
The last time the Presidents of Russia and China met in person in a bilateral format was on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in mid-September last year.
Discussing Russia-China trade and gas supplies, trade turnover between Russia and China is growing at a record high pace and will increase. Putin stated that “Despite the unfavorable external environment, illegitimate restrictions and certain Western countries’ direct blackmail, Russia and China managed to ensure record high rates of mutual trade turnover growth. Trade turnover rose by around 25%” he noted, adding that such dynamics would enable the two countries “to reach the targeted level of US$200 billion in bilateral trade by 2024.”
Putin also noted the unprecedented 2022 volumes of Russian hydrocarbons exports to China: as for pipeline gas supplies, Russia ranks second globally, and in terms of liquefied natural gas supplies it is in fourth place. Moscow will further increase supplies to China during 2023, Putin stated.
Putin also remarked on the implementation of landmark, bilateral infrastructure projects – for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, permanent automobile and railway bridges have opened between the two countries across the Amur River.
Russia and China were also cooperating on military and military-technical coordination, not only to ensuring their own security, but also “maintaining stability in key regions,” Putin said. He added that Moscow intends to strengthen cooperation with Beijing in this area.
Putin called Xi Jinping a dear friend and noted “a very good tradition” to talk via video link at the end of the year – “to sum up the results of work and outline plans, to exchange views on the most pressing international issues.”
According to official translations, Xi told Putin that Beijing was ready to increase strategic cooperation with Russia and said that Russia and China’s partnership benefits the people of both countries. “We maintain close strategic contact,” Xi told Putin, adding that relations with Moscow have demonstrated their “resilience” in the “new era” the world is witnessing. Xi told Putin that Beijing would continue to uphold its “objective and fair stance” on the war in Ukraine, a comment that has politicians and Western media tied up in knots attempting to extract meaning but can be more accurately interpreted as ‘no change’.
Last year, the both Presidents also had such a conversation on December 15, while on December 30, Putin called up another world leader – US President Joe Biden. The main topic of that conversation was Russia’s demands for security guarantees, the unsatisfactory state of relations between Moscow and Washington, as well as the situation around Ukraine. Biden then expressed concern about the movement of troops near the Ukrainian border and threatened sanctions in the event of an escalation. For fairly obvious reasons, Joe Biden was not on Putin’s Christmas calling card list this year.
With Medvedev’s meeting in Beijing the previous week, and Putin and Xi holding direct discussions this week, Russia-China cooperation is at its highest levels and frequency since their relations began. 2023 will be a crucial year in which both will play a huge part in global geopolitics – with the United States perceived to be at the receiving end of their collaboration.
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