In the context of the war in Ukraine and the widely expected Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the ever-growing partnership between Russia and China has the western world very worried.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has landed in China for strategic talks ‘on the war in Ukraine, the bilateral ties and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region’.
Reuters reported:
“The Russian foreign minister will talk with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on a series of “hot topics” that will also include joint cooperation in international organizations, such as the United Nations and the Group of 20 (G20), Moscow had said earlier.
Reuters reported last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in what could be the Kremlin chief’s first overseas trip of his new presidential term.”
Hit with an unprecedented amount of sanctions that closed access to Western markets and finances after the onset of the war in Ukraine, Russia has since become China’s fastest-growing trade partner.
“Xi, in a call with Putin last month, said both sides should resolutely oppose interference in domestic affairs by external forces, an apparent reference to the United States.
Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong said bilateral ties were “at their best in history” when he met his Russian counterpart in Moscow last month, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.”
This visit comes as the US is warning allies that China has stepped up its support for the Russian campaign in Ukraine, including by providing geospatial intelligence.
Bloomberg reported:
“Amid signs of continued military integration between the two nations, China has provided Russia with satellite imagery for military purposes, as well as microelectronics and machine tools for tanks, according to people familiar with the matter.
China’s support also includes optics, propellants to be used in missiles and increased space cooperation, one of the people said.”
President Joe Biden raised these concerns with Xi Jinping during their call this week.
China’s support for the Russian defense industrial base, now include machine tools, optics, nitrocellulose, microelectronics, and turbojet engines.
“Beijing has sought to portray itself as mostly neutral in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now into its third year, yet it’s established a deep alliance with Moscow as part of what Xi and Vladimir Putin termed a “no limits” friendship ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.”
Bilateral trade has reached a record $240 billion in 2023.
“Crucially, China and Hong Kong have also become key gateways for Moscow to access restricted technologies, including chips and integrated circuits, used in weapons or needed to build them. The US and European Union have listed several Chinese firms for enabling those transfers, but the trade shows little sign of dropping off.”
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