The West talks about the message of President Putin's visit to China
(Baonghean.vn) - In May 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China. This will be his first foreign trip since the Russian leader took office for his fifth term. The trip will send a strong message to the West about Russia-China relations.
RIA Novosti news agency reported on May 9 that Abigail Vasselier, Director of the International Relations Program at the Mercator Institute (China), in an interview with the French publication L'Express, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China will send a message to the West that Beijing will not abandon its close relationship with Moscow.
"The close relationship between President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin means that China will continue to cooperate with its Russian counterpart. As evidenced by President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Beijing, China is sending a very clear signal to the West that it will always stand by Russia, and will not follow the policy of isolating Moscow imposed by Europe," said expert Vasselier.
According to Ms. Vasselier, it is time for Western leaders to accept the reality that their leverage over China is extremely limited. The analyst expressed confidence that Beijing will "never sacrifice a productive cooperative relationship with Moscow."
Regarding the relationship between China and Russia, TASS news agency on May 9 quoted a report from the General Administration of Customs of China (GTU) saying that the trade turnover between the two countries from January to April 2024 reached 76.58 billion USD, an increase of 4.7%.
According to GTU, imports from Russia to China in the four months increased by 10.2% and China's exports to Russia decreased by 1.9% to 32.73 billion USD.
Russia's positive trade balance doubled compared to the same period in January-April 2023, to $11.12 billion.
The majority of China's imports from Russia are energy resources such as oil, natural gas and coal. Other important imports include copper and copper ore, timber, fuel and seafood. China exports a wide range of products to Russia, including cars, smartphones, industrial and professional equipment, toys, shoes, vehicles, air conditioners and computers.
Previously, speaking at the Congress of the Russian Business Association on April 25, President Putin said he planned to visit China in May 2024.
According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, this trip to Beijing will be the first since President Putin took office for his fifth term. Therefore, this trip will have special nuances, and will be announced in the coming days.