When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, hosts President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia this week, the two leaders presented a united front. But they have different agendas.

Mr. Putin is trying to escalate his war in Ukraine before Ukrainian forces can receive a replenishment of arms from the United States, and probably wants to know he can rely on China. Mr. Xi is keen to exploit Russia’s acute wartime needs to secure preferential access to Russian resources and markets, but he is also under pressure to avoid further alienating the West over his support for the Kremlin.

Those priorities were the backdrop of Mr. Putin’s two-day state visit, which began in Beijing on Thursday, and included a trip to the northeastern city of Harbin, where a China-Russia trade fair was being held.

Mr. Putin likely sought more help from Beijing, which has provided a lifeline to the Kremlin since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. China purchases huge quantities of Russian oil and sold technologies that helped Moscow withstand its economic isolation and sustain its war machine.

Mr. Xi considers Russia an important ally in China’s rivalry with the United States, but if helps Russia too much, he risks alienating Europe, a key trading partner, just as China is relying on exports to revive its sluggish economy. Read more https://aiapkpro.com/what-to-know-about-the-summit-between-putin-and-xi-in-china/

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