Xi lauded his initiative for providing an alternative development model for the world, saying it “established a new framework for international cooperation.”…reports Asian Lite News
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that “political mutual trust” between their countries was “continuously deepening”, Beijing’s state media reported.
He also called for joint efforts by China and Russia to “safeguard international fairness” and “justice”, state news agency Xinhua said, hailing the “close and effective strategic coordination” between their two countries.
“Bilateral trade volume has reached a historical high, which is progressing toward the goal of 200 billion US dollars set by the two sides,” Xi added.
The Chinese leader also noted that he had met with Putin “42 times in the past 10 years and (had) developed a good working relationship and a deep friendship”.
Beijing this week hosts representatives of 130 countries for a forum on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi’s vast trade and infrastructure project.
At the top of the guest list is Putin, who is on his first trip to a major global power since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine threw his regime into international isolation.
China is Russia’s largest trading partner, with exchange between the nations reaching a record $190 billion last year, Beijing customs data shows.
Beijing has drawn criticism from Western countries for its stance on the Ukraine war, on which China insists it is neutral even as it refuses to criticise Moscow’s invasion. In Beijing, Putin is on a mission to strengthen the already strong bond with his communist neighbour, though experts say Moscow is increasingly the junior partner in the relationship. The war raging between Israel and Palestinian militant organisation Hamas also looms large over the forum.
Meanwhile, Xi is set to outline his views on the past and future of the Belt and Road Initiative, as Beijing hosts world dignitaries on Tuesday and Wednesday at a forum marking the 10th anniversary of its signature foreign policy strategy.
Xi is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech on the second day of the forum, according to state media outlet Xinhua. Guests have been arriving one after another, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who landed in Beijing on Tuesday morning as he looks to shore up the neighbors’ “no limits” partnership.
The event comes at a time when analysts are taking stock of what the BRI has — and has not — accomplished over the past decade.
China’s State Council recently said that about 150 countries and 30 international organizations had signed BRI cooperation agreements by June this year, with construction contracts reaching $2 trillion.
But while the BRI helped to meet developing economies’ project financing needs, alongside other international lenders, critics say it has contributed to debt distress amid rising interest rates and other economic pressure.
In a previously unannounced speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum, Putin hailed Xi’s flagship foreign policy initiative as “aiming to form a fairer, multi-polar world.”
Russia and China share an “aspiration for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation,” which includes “respecting civilization diversity and the right of every state for their own development model” – he added, in an apparent push back against calls for authoritarian leaders to promote human rights and political freedoms at home.
Putin spoke after Xi, who welcomed two dozen world leaders and more than a hundred delegations to an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative – an ambitious yet controversial undertaking to boost connectivity and trade across the world with Chinese infrastructure projects.
Xi lauded his initiative for providing an alternative development model for the world, saying it “established a new framework for international cooperation.”
The gathering in Beijing’s cavernous Great Hall of the People took place under the shadow of a war in the Middle East that threatens to escalate into broader regional conflict – and served as a stark showing of the deepening divisions between world powers.
China and Russia have both called for ceasefire in the spiraling conflict and have declined to explicitly condemn Hamas – cutting a stark contrast to the outpouring of support for Israel from the US and leaders across Europe.
While not addressing the conflict directly, Xi alluded to an apparent shift in global power and leadership in his speech Wednesday. “Changes of the world, of our times and of historical significance are unfolding like never before,” he said.
“China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization. The modernization we’re pursuing is not for China alone, but for all developing countries through joint efforts.”
In a thinly veiled swipe at the United States, the Chinese leader said China opposed unilateral sanctions, economic coercion and decoupling in supply chains.
“Ideological confrontation, geopolitical rivalry and bloc politics are not a choice for us,” he said. “Viewing others’ development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one’s own life better or speed up one’s development.”
Other world leaders in attendance, including Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Indonesia’s Joko Widodo, also gave addresses, with many echoing Xi’s call for increased global development and a more multilateral, cooperative world.
Xi, the most powerful and assertive Chinese leader in decades, has been ramping up efforts to project China as an alternative leader to the US – with a vision for how global security and development should be ensured.
Hosting leaders in Beijing – China’s first major international event since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic – is a key part of his push to pitch that vision to nations it has forged close ties with over the past decade as Xi aimed to vastly expand his nation’s global influence.
World leaders, representatives and delegations from more than 140 countries – including in the Middle East and the Taliban – are attending the gathering marking one decade since the launch of Xi’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.