Chinese President Xi Jinping Visits Moscow in Show of Support for Russia

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a state visit, marking his first international trip since his re-election earlier this month. The visit was a show of support for Russia, as the two countries continue to deepen their economic and political ties amid increasing isolation from the West.

The meeting between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen as a message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over its war in Ukraine have fallen short. The visit also gave a political lift to Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine.

Putin and Xi greeted each other as “dear friend” when they met in the Kremlin, and held informal talks for nearly four and a half hours on Monday, with further official talks scheduled for Tuesday.

In televised comments after they greeted each other, Putin told Xi he viewed China’s proposals for a resolution of the Ukraine war with respect. Putin congratulated Xi on his re-election and voiced hope for building even stronger ties, noting that “China has made a colossal leap ahead in its development in recent years” and “it’s causing genuine interest all around the world, and we even feel a bit envious,” as Xi smiled.

Xi, for his part, praised Putin and predicted Russians would re-elect him next year. “Under your strong leadership, Russia has made great strides in its prosperous development,” he said.

The two powers have described Xi’s three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their “no-limits friendship” and build a new trade relationship without the influence of the sanctions imposed by the US and the EU.

Sergey Markov, director of the Institute of Political Studies in Moscow, told Al Jazeera that the main agenda of the meeting was setting up “infrastructure for an economic relationship,” and not the war in Ukraine. “Both Xi and Putin don’t see [Ukrainian President Volodomyr] Zelenskyy as a leader of Ukraine, they believe he is a puppet of America,” Markov said, when asked about the two leaders’ thoughts on the war.

Meanwhile, Washington criticized Xi’s visit, saying the timing showed Beijing was providing Moscow with “diplomatic cover” to commit further crimes. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Xi should use his influence to press Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine, and Washington was concerned that Beijing might instead call for a ceasefire that would let Russian troops stay. Kirby said Xi should speak with Zelenskyy about the impact of the war on Ukraine.

“We encourage President Xi to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The world and China’s neighbors will certainly be watching closely,” he told reporters on Monday.

Despite Western criticism, Xi and Putin seem to be connected in “a bit of a marriage of convenience” rather than one of affection, Kirby said. The Chinese leader has been trying to portray Beijing as a potential peacemaker in Ukraine, even as he deepens economic ties with Moscow. The visit underscores the increasingly close relationship between China and Russia, which are seeking to counterbalance the United States’ global influence.