The remarks represent a notably sharper stance than Xi has previously taken on Russian aggression. While Xi's conversations with former President Joe Biden were described as "frank and open", he had not gone so far in criticizing Moscow. Putin launched the war in 2022 just three weeks after visiting Beijing, where he and Xi proclaimed a "no limits" bilateral partnership.
The FT report emerged just as Putin arrived in China for a two-day state visit — his 25th trip to the country, according to Chinese diplomats, who framed the journey as near-routine.
During last week's Beijing summit, Trump suggested that the United States, China, and Russia should act jointly against the International Criminal Court, assessing that the three powers share converging interests on the matter. The Trump administration has previously accused the ICC of politicization and disregard for U.S. sovereignty. In 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
French newspaper Le Figaro assessed Tuesday that Putin's visit is designed to project the durability of the Moscow-Beijing "no limits" partnership, while also betraying Kremlin anxiety over the recent U.S.-China rapprochement. Putin must "prevent the emergence of a 'G2' that would push him to the sidelines", the paper wrote, referring to the term Trump used to describe the U.S.-China relationship.
Le Figaro noted a "growing imbalance" between China, the world's leading trade power, and Russia, which is "increasingly economically dependent on its neighbor" — an undercurrent that quietly strains the partnership despite its public displays of unity.
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Source: PAP