Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold talks in Uzbekistan on Thursday (15th) to discuss Ukraine and Taiwan. The Kremlin said the meeting was of “special significance” given the geopolitical situation.
Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin’s chief foreign policy adviser, said Putin and Xi would discuss bilateral agendas, as well as major regional and international issues. Chinese and Russian leaders will hold talks on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan.
Ushakov said Moscow values China’s stance on the Ukrainian crisis, adding that Beijing is taking a “balanced approach” to the conflict. He said that China “understands the reasons that forced Russia to launch a special military operation. Of course, the heads of state of China and Russia will discuss this issue in depth at the meeting”.
On the eve of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi will travel to Central Asia and meet Putin, leaving China for the first time in more than two years to return to the international stage.
The deepening “unlimited” partnership between China and Russia is a geopolitical development that Western countries continue to pay attention to. The meeting will give Xi Jinping a chance to demonstrate his influence, and Putin to show Russia’s move toward Asia. Both leaders could take a stand against the United States as the U.S. and Europe punish Moscow.
Trade between China and Russia reached $140 billion last year and totaled nearly $93 billion in the first seven months of this year, Kremlin data show.
China is Russia’s largest buyer of oil, one of the main sources of revenue for Moscow’s treasury. Russia is also working to increase gas sales to China and build new pipelines to China, as supplies to Europe have been slashed by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.