Imperial treatment of Xi Jinping in a Kremlin-designed choreography. Great praise from Russia for its “constructive and balanced proposal” on the Ukraine crisis. And the Chinese leader responds by inviting Vladimir Putin to Beijing. The Russian press rushed to publish the news, which at other times would have been taken for granted: the ceremonial between heads of state requires reciprocity, and thus an invitation to return the visit soon is the norm. But now the tsar is being hunted down with an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court in The Hague. China does not recognize the tribunal, nor does the United States, Russia, and even Ukraine participate: But housing a man wanted for war crimes in his home is a gesture of strong support from Xi. Putin could travel to Beijing for the third forum on the Belt and Road Initiative, the plan for the new Silk Roads so dear to Xi. The event is expected to take place this spring.
The Silk Road appointment also gives the economic sense of the embrace between the two leaders. Putin told Xi that Chinese firms must replace Western ones in Russia. He announced that the “Power of Siberia 2” would bring 50 billion cubic meters of gas to China every year: “We have agreed on the parameters,” he said happily. The mega project has been discussed for years. All Siberian gas pumped to China in 2030 will increase to 98 billion cubic meters per year, plus 100 million tons of liquefied gas will be exported. In this way, Putin finds an outlet to fill the void left by the Europeans. Moscow also speaks of sharing the Arctic route with its Chinese (political) navigation friends for economic gain, and Putin expands on the dream of “becoming a world leader in artificial intelligence together.”
The ever-tightening trade ties that tie and subordinate Russia to the Chinese superpower were overshadowed by global attention focused on the Ukraine issue at this summit. Yesterday, Putin and Xi “discussed in depth” the Chinese proposal for a political solution. Many of the plan’s 12 points (which begins with a ceasefire that would keep the Russians in the captured positions) “are consistent with the Russian approach and can be taken as a basis for a peaceful solution,” Putin said. But “we don’t see at the moment that the westerners and Kiev are ready”. The Tsar claims that the West “wants to fight to the last Ukrainian”. Xi at his side is committed to “Chinese neutrality”. In the joint document, the two heads of state agree that “there are no winners in a nuclear war and it should therefore never be waged”.
If he wants to prove credibility, Xi must consult Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukrainians say that there is still nothing concrete about the hypothesis of the first meeting between the two: “We are waiting for an answer to our request, we are working on it”. The Ukrainian President yesterday received a visit from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the last of the G7 leaders to go on a solidarity mission to Kiev. He spoke of rebuilding the destroyed cities, but his choice of side also comes as a blow to China.
The Kremlin halls used for the summit encourage political stimuli. The grand state banquet was held in the Palace of Facets (Granovitaya Palata). Tsar Ivan the Terrible celebrated his territorial gains in Asia there, Peter the Great celebrated his victory over Sweden in 1709 near Poltava, which is now on Ukrainian territory.
Political historians recall that in the Palace of Facets in 1988, President Ronald Reagan toasted with Mikhail Gorbachev, raising his glass “to the art of kind persuasion, to the spirit of peace, to the hope of finding a better way to settle things.” It is impossible for Xi Jinping to address similar words privately to his best friend Vladimir Putin.