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Putin vows to press attack on Ukraine; courts India, China

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to press his attack on Ukraine despite Ukraine’s latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the country’s vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

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Russian President Putin arrives in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit to China.

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Russian President Putin arrives in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit to China.

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Xi Putin meeting: What to expect from China-Russia talks

KATHMANDU, March 20: Our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg and China correspondent Stephen McDonell have been considering what each side seeks to gain from the talks, and what we know about the relationship between the two countries. Putin looking for help from a friend

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Putin vows to press attack on Ukraine; courts India, China

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to press his attack on Ukraine despite Ukraine’s latest counteroffensive and warned that Moscow could ramp up its strikes on the country’s vital infrastructure if Ukrainian forces target facilities in Russia.

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Xi and Putin to discuss Ukraine war at meeting - Kremlin

SEP 14: China's leader Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Ukraine and other "international and regional topics" at their meeting later this week, the Kremlin says. The two will meet in Uzbekistan at a summit that will show an "alternative" to the Western world, the Kremlin said. Mr Xi is making his first trip overseas since the beginning of the pandemic. He is seeking a historic third term while Mr Putin's relations with the West are at rock bottom over Ukraine. Mr Xi is beginning his three-day trip in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. He will then meet Mr Putin on Thursday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand, which will run from 15-16 September. Mr Putin will also meet other leaders including those of India, Pakistan, Turkey and Iran - but his meeting with China's leader "is of particular importance," said Kremlin foreign policy spokesman Yuri Ushakov. He said the summit was taking place "against the background of large-scale political changes". China and Russia have long sought to position the SCO, founded in 2001 with four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, as an alternative to Western multilateral groups. Mr Xi's visit comes amid a fresh set of lockdowns in China, where his zero Covid policy is still in place. While the rest of the world has opened up, learning to live with with the virus, Beijing continues to shut down entire cities and provinces every time there is a spurt in cases. Mr Xi last left China in January 2020 to visit Myanmar - just days before the first lockdown came into effect in Wuhan. He has remained in China since then, leaving the mainland only once in July this year to visit Hong Kong. Mr Putin is also making a rare foray abroad. His meeting with Turkish and Iranian leaders in Tehran in July was only his second foreign trip since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. This is the two leaders' second meeting this year - they last met at Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. Following the February meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement saying the friendship between their countries had "no limits". Russia invaded Ukraine days later - an action China has neither condemned nor voiced support for. Beijing, in fact, has said both sides are to blame. China is not part of the international sanctions against Russia and trade between the two countries has continued to grow. Indian and Chinese imports of Russian oil have soared since the Ukraine invasion. China too has seen its relations with the West and especially the US sour in recent months following tensions over self-ruled Taiwan. China claims the island as part of its territory. Last month, Beijing staged a five-day military blockade around the island in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit. China watchers say Mr Xi's decision to leave China after more than two years, despite significant domestic challenges - crippling lockdowns and a faltering economy - show his confidence in his leadership. Analysts expect him to be re-elected for an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party Congress in October. With inputs from BBC.

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Xi and Putin to attend G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia's Jokowi says

AUG 19: "Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come," Mr Widodo, also known as Jokowi, told Bloomberg News in an interview. This is the first confirmation that both leaders will attend the summit. It will be the first global summit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the heightened tensions over Taiwan. It would also be the first time Mr Xi has left China since January 2020 when the country shut its borders at the start of the Covid pandemic. Since then, he only left the mainland to mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China on July 1 this year. The November summit will be much-awaited given that US President Joe Biden is also expected to attend - it's unclear if he will meet Mr Putin. But reports have hinted at the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Xi soon - ahead of the summit or on its sidelines. Relations between Washington and Beijing have soured over human rights, trade and most recently US politician Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan - the historic trip prompted China to conduct nearly a week of military drills around the self-ruled island, which it claims as part of its territory. The US condemned the drills, which Taiwan described as a rehearsal for an invasion, as "irresponsible". The summit is also happening in the wake of China and Russia declaring a "no limits" strategic partnership even as much of the world condemns Mr Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Washington earlier called for the G20 to remove Russia's membership and withdraw Mr Putin's invitation to the summit over the Ukraine war. Indonesia, meanwhile, has positioned itself as a peacemaker between the countries. "The rivalry of the big countries is indeed worrying," Jokowi told Bloomberg News in the interview. "What we want is for this region is to be stable, peaceful, so that we can build economic growth." Earlier this week, the Indonesian leader said both Russia and Ukraine had accepted his country as a "bridge of peace". In June, he was the first Asian leader to travel to Kyiv and Moscow to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Mr Putin. During the meetings, he called for an end to the war and solutions to the global food crisis.

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Ukraine war: What support is China offering Russia?

APRIL 15: President Putin has said that Moscow will "redirect" its energy exports to "rapidly growing markets" elsewhere. China has sought to remain neutral on the conflict, calling for a peaceful solution. But it has yet to condemn the Russian invasion and has criticised western sanctions. China's trade with Russia has been growing Bilateral trade with Russia surged in the first quarter of the year, rising by 28% from the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. In March, after Russia launched its invasion, overall trade between the two countries rose over 12% from a year earlier. China accounted for around 18% of Russia's overall trade in 2021 - almost $147bn (£110bn) last year . During President Putin's visit to Beijing in February for the Winter Olympics, the two countries said they would boost trade to $250bn by 2024. However, as a bloc, the EU remains by far the biggest overall trading partner with Russia. In 2021, total trade between the two was worth almost twice as much as China's trade with Russia. That could now be changing. "It is inevitable that EU-Russia trade diminishes in the light of sanctions," says trade economist Dr Rebecca Harding. "The current crisis has just sharpened a focus within the EU on the need to diversify supply". Could China buy more Russian energy? China is one of the biggest markets for Russian oil, gas and coal. Just a week before the Ukraine invasion, the two countries agreed on a new Russian coal deal worth more than $20bn. Mr Putin also unveiled new Russian oil and gas deals with China worth an estimated $117.5bn. The two countries aim to build a new gas pipeline (the Power of Siberia 2). The existing one began operation in 2019, under a 30-year contract worth more than $400bn. However, Russia's biggest energy market by far has been the EU, and it supplies 40% of the bloc's gas and about 26% of its oil. "Russian exports of oil and gas [to China] have been increasing at a rate of over 9% annually for the last five years". says Dr Harding. "This is rapid growth but even so, China is half as big as the EU market for Russian oil." The EU is reducing its reliance on Russian energy by cutting its gas imports by two-thirds in the wake of the Ukraine war. Germany, Russia's main export destination for natural gas, has announced that it would suspend the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Supplies via a new pipeline agreed between Russia and China would have only a fifth of the capacity of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, according to one analysis. Also, it's not clear when the new gas pipeline from Siberia will come on stream. Over the longer term, China may want to boost imports of Russian gas to try to reduce its dependence on coal in order to meet targets for cutting greenhouse gases. But data shows that China's crude imports from Russia dropped 9% in the first two months of 2022. Its state-owned refiners are also reported to be cautious and not currently signing new Russian oil contracts. Could China support Russia militarily? Moscow has asked China for military equipment in support of its invasion of Ukraine, according to US official quoted in media reports. China says this is untrue and has called the reports "disinformation". In recent years, most of the movement in arms has been the other way. China has relied heavily on Russian military hardware to modernise its armed forces, made increasingly necessary by the imposition of US and European arms embargoes in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. About 80% of China's total arms imports were from Russia between 2017 and 2021, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). These Chinese purchases make up 21% of Russia's total arms exports - its second largest global customer. But China has been gradually expanding its own military production capabilities. It's now the world's fourth largest arms exporter. "China's weapons are getting more advanced now. Its drones, for example, are one area that Russia would be very interested in," says Siemon Wezeman at SIPRI. But, he says, "so far we haven't seen any evidence" that Russia has bought Chinese drones. Could China help Russia financially? Some Russian banks have been banned from the Swift international payment system. This has forced companies in China, as elsewhere, to cut back purchases from Russia as traders struggle to arrange financing. Both China and Russia have encouraged moves towards alternative payment methods in recent years. Russia has its System for Transfer of Financial Messages (STFM) while China has the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), both of which operate in their own currencies. But Swift has continued to dominate the financial transactions in the global trading network. Currently only about 17% of trade between Russia and China uses the Chinese yuan (up from 3.1% in 2014), according to media reports citing official Russian statistics. Energy trading between the two countries is still mostly done in US dollars. But report suggests that several Chinese firms used yuan to purchase Russian coal and oil in March. Could China expand food trade with Russia? China is a major importers of grains such as wheat and barley and one of its most important sources is Russia - one of the world's largest producers. Until very recently, China had placed restrictions on the importing of wheat and barley from Russia because of disease concerns. But these were all lifted on the day the Russian assault on Ukraine began. With inputs from BBC

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China opposes further NATO expansion

FEB 9:China believes NATO's expansion does not contribute to global security and stability, the Chinese Mission in the EU said. The statement comes as the situation around Ukraine has worsened over the past several months. NATO and Kiev continue to accuse Russia of building up troops near the Ukrainian border and preparing for an invasion. "Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, NATO continues to expand its geographical scope and the range of operations and engages in bloc politics and confrontation. This is not conducive to global security and stability. China believes that regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs," the embassy statement said. "We call on NATO to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, respect the sovereignty, security, interests as well as the diversity of civilizations, history and culture of other countries, take an objective and impartial view of other countries' peaceful development, and do more to increase mutual trust among countries and maintain regional peace and stability," it said. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met on Friday in China on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics and reaffirmed their close ties in the face of US pressure, prompting a wave of media attention in the West. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Saturday that fears are growing in Washington that Moscow is moving closer to Beijing. "Of course, the message [media coverage] was very negative. There were clear concerns about Russia and China moving closer together," Antonov said on the Solovyov Live show. According to Antonov, Russia is bracing for more US sanctions after seeing consensus on the move cut across party lines in Congress. "Unfortunately, we expect sanctions. There is no telling what they will be. Much of the squabbling has been about who will hit Russia harder and more painfully," Antonov added. During their talks on Friday, Xi and Putin had an in-depth and thorough exchange of views on China-Russia relations and a series of major issues that concern international strategic security and stability.

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Xi holds phone conversation with Putin

BEIJING, August 26 : Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. In the conversation, Xi said since the beginning of this year, China and Russia have taken the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as a new starting point to promote strategic coordination and comprehensive practical cooperation between the two countries. The series of new achievements in this regard provide significant support for the development of both countries and play a pivotal role in uniting the international community to overcome difficulties, he said. The two countries should explore new ways of cooperation, expand cooperation areas and work to achieve more cooperation results, Xi said. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic waves ebb and flow, presenting the international community an arduous anti-pandemic task, Xi said, noting that China is ready to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on vaccine development and production and ensure the safety and stability of the global supply chain for vaccines, so as to protect the lives and health of the two peoples and contribute to the building of a community of common health for mankind. Only the wearer knows whether the shoes fit or not, Xi stressed, saying that it is the people of the two countries who have the most say about which system works in their own country. As comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era, China and Russia should deepen cooperation against interference and firmly hold their respective national future in their own hands, Xi said. China firmly supports Russia in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions, and firmly supports Russia's measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and security, Xi said. The two sides should take the opportunity of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year to work in joint effort with other SCO members to strengthen solidarity, coordination and mutual support so as to safeguard the security and development interests of countries in the region, Xi said. The two leaders also had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Afghanistan. Xi stressed that China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and adheres to the policy of non-interference in its internal affairs, and has played a constructive role in resolving the Afghanistan issue via political means. Xi said that China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Russia and the broader international community to encourage all factions in Afghanistan to build an open and inclusive political structure through consultation, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, thoroughly dissociate from all terrorist groups, and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially neighboring countries. For his part, Putin said the Russian side is satisfied with the development of Russia-China relations. This year bears special significance for bilateral ties as it marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Russia-China Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, he added. He recalled that 76 years ago, Russia and China made tremendous national sacrifices for and decisive contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. Under the current circumstances, Putin added, the two sides should intensify strategic coordination, firmly support each other, safeguard the victory of World War II and defend historical truth. He said Russia firmly adheres to the one-China policy, unswervingly supports China's legitimate positions of safeguarding its core interests on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea, and resolutely opposes any external force interfering in China's internal affairs. Russia, he added, is opposed to the politicization of COVID-19 origins tracing, and hopes to work with China to continuously deepen practical cooperation in various fields and strengthen collaboration against the pandemic. On Afghanistan, Putin said that the evolving situation in the country shows that the policy adopted by external forces to impose their political models upon others does not work, and will only bring destruction and disaster to the countries concerned. Noting that Russia and China share similar positions and common interests on the Afghanistan issue, the president said his country is willing to work with China to intensify communication and coordination, actively participate in relevant multilateral mechanisms, and push for a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan. He also called for concerted efforts to fight against terrorism, cut off drug smuggling, prevent spillover of security risks arising from Afghanistan, resist intervention and disruption by external forces, and safeguard regional security and stability. The two sides agreed that given the complex and evolving international and regional situation, it is very important and necessary for China and Russia to maintain timely communication on major bilateral and multilateral issues. They also agreed to maintaining close contact in various ways.

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