https://www.oneindia.com/internatio...o-meet-xi-jinping-what-to-expect-3661729.html
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit to China to participate in the third 'Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). The Russian President will attend the official meeting ceremony with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, heads of delegations participating in the 'Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF).'
The main events of the forum will take place on October 18 where the leaders from 130 countries will take part. However, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is expected to overshadow the meeting's theme along with Russia's war against Ukraine. Russia shares a good relationship with Israel and Palestine and has urged for for an "immediate ceasefire" in the war. Putin's First Major Visit Since March China will be one of the first countries that the Russian President is travelling since the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant against him in March. The ICC accused the Russian leader of unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine.
It has to be noted that China is not a member of the ICC. Hence, it is not obliged to transfer the Russian president to The Hague. "During the talks, special attention will be paid to international and regional issues," the Kremlin said ahead of his visit. Even since the West isolated Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has put its weight behind Moscow and strongly stated that it has the right to collaborate with whichever country it chooses. Trade between China and its neighboring country Russia has witnessed a significant surge following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Beijing has increased its import of Russian oil, especially after several nations imposed sanctions on Russian imports. As per China's customs data, the trade between the nations reached a record $190 billion in 2022 although the West has criticised China for partnering with Russia. Speaking to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN ahead of his visit this week, the Russian President said "multipolar world is taking shape, and the concepts and initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping are highly relevant and significant". Can Big Announcement Be Expected From Putin's Meeting With Xi Jinping? Experts have told AFP that there are not expecting any new major agreements between the two countries. "Russia is aware that China doesn't want to sign any high publicity deals," Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told AFP. "China holds all of the cards," he added. The two countries have a mutually beneficial alliance, where China values Russia's position as a bulwark against Western influences, and Moscow is increasingly dependent on Beijing's support in trade and geopolitics. "Since Moscow embarked on its all-out invasion of Ukraine, it has been put in a position where it is unprecedentedly dependent on China," the news agency quoted Bjorn Alexander Duben of China's Jilin University as saying. Notably, the two leaders consider each other as "dear friends". "President Xi Jinping calls me his friend, and I call him my friend, too," the Chinese state broadcaster CGTN quoted the Russian President as saying in the interview. Russian President's advisor Yuri Ushakov has said that the two leaders will discuss "current problems of bilateral practical cooperation and the international agenda, including issues of forming a more equitable polar multipolar world order."
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