2023-10-17 06:18:00
First major trip since the war Putin has Chinese soil under his feet
October 17, 2023, 8:18 a.m. Listen to article
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Russian President Putin has hardly left Russia for a long time, as there is an arrest warrant against him from the International Court of Justice. But China doesn’t care, so the Kremlin chief is now visiting Beijing. A conversation with Xi Jinping awaits him there.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China for an international forum on the controversial New Silk Road infrastructure project. He landed in the capital Beijing in the morning. According to the Kremlin, Putin wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Silk Road summit to discuss “international and regional” issues.
It is Putin’s first visit to a major international player since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 and since the International Court of Justice issued an arrest warrant against him. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March in connection with the abduction of hundreds of children from Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations. The 123 member states of the criminal court are obliged to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague if he enters their territory. China is not a member of the ICC.
The forum is overshadowed by the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas. Representatives from 130 countries will take part in the two-day meeting in Beijing. The New Silk Road project, launched ten years ago by China’s President Xi, has led to the construction of ports, railways, airports and industrial parks in Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond. These projects are intended to give China better access to other countries’ markets. The initiative has been harshly criticized internationally because it drives poorer countries into debt and dependence on China. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will also take part in the meeting in Beijing. Germany is not a member of the Silk Road.
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