Medvedev and Xi Meet in Beijing Amidst Ukraine Crisis
Xi Jinping, the current general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met with Chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev, a close confidant of Vladimir Putin, who visited Beijing, on 21 December, at the invitation of the Communist Party. The meeting largely concerned asserting the friendship between the two countries, as well as a reiteration of China’s current policy on the invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting comes at a time where both countries find themselves at increased odds with the NATO bloc and its allies. The visit is meant to be a part of ‘institutionalized exchanges between the CPC and the United Russia’
which Xi described as a “platform for the two countries to consolidate political mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and demonstrate strategic coordination”.
The subject of the war in Ukraine was discussed up during the meeting, according to the Chinese state-ran news agency Xinhua, with Xi further reiterating his old position of encouraging both parties to find a peaceful solution. Xi said:
“China decides its position and policy based on the merits of the matter concerned, upholds objectivity and fairness, and actively promotes peace talks”
Here it is worth noting that, although Xi never directly went on the record in support of the invasion, China was one of the few countries (alongside the likes of Iran, Iraq and Pakistan) which abstained during the UN vote regarding condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and this meeting marks a steady continuation of CCP’s policy of neutrality when it comes to the Ukraine war.
Putin, on the other hand, has long since fought to secure any and all available allies amidst growing hostilities with the entire Western bloc. His successes, however, were rather limited to increased sales of gas and oil to China and the usage of China’s yuan in the bilateral trade agreements between the two countries amidst the weakening of Russia’s Ruble. On the flipside, China so far has refused to outright support the invasion militarily and has largely abided by the Western sanctions. It is up for debate whether or not such a neutral stance on Ukraine, taken by Xi, will be seen as a success in Putin’s eyes.