China on Sunday sought to bolster Russian President Vladimir Putin – praising his “strategic leadership” and calling for stability – but only after the dust had settled over a short-lived mutiny that challenged his rule.
Beijing was silent all Saturday while the Wagner mercenary group seized the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and stormed Moscow with demands for a change in military leadership from Putin. Meanwhile, Western governments issued concerned statements, assuring they were monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in Russia.
Beijing only spoke up long after the Russian head of state had reached an agreement with Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin late on Saturday and ended the military uprising.
“This is a matter of Russia’s internal affairs,” the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement on Sunday. “China supports Russia in maintaining national stability and ensuring development and prosperity.”
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu received Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Beijing on Sunday spoke more positively about the Russian leader. “Under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, Sino-Russian political trust has continued to deepen,” Ma said.
However, Beijing made it public that Beijing wanted Moscow to update China as soon as possible in the future. According to the ministry, Ma urged Rudenko to “communicate and carry out cross-checks in a timely manner” given the “complex and difficult international atmosphere.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Rudenko’s trip to Beijing was a follow-up to Xi’s visit to Russia in March, aimed at cementing and expanding bilateral ties.
“The Chinese side expressed its support for the Russian leadership’s efforts to stabilize the situation in the country in connection with the events of June 24 and reiterated its interest in the strengthened unity and further prosperity of Russia,” the statement said of the Russian Ministry.
Xi has repeatedly backed Putin throughout the war that began last year, keeping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy waiting for more than a year before making direct contact. China maintains trade with Russia, whose economy is largely under Western sanctions, but the two countries are reluctant to form a military alliance.