Xi Jinping and Putin meet in Beijing, calling for close political coordination

The meeting, which was a clear example of the growing divide between world powers, took place in the shadow of a war in the Middle East that has the potential to spread across the region. During their meeting in Beijing to reaffirm an increasingly close relationship since the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the record level of trade with Russia and stressed his "deep friendship" with Vladimir Putin, Russia's president.  

Xi Jinping informed Vladimir Putin that annual bilateral trade between their countries had reached a "historic high" of nearly $200 billion during their meeting on the sidelines of the forum to mark the 10th anniversary of their flagship foreign policy initiative - the BRI. 

"I have had 42 meetings with Mr President in the past ten years, from 2013 to the present, building a strong working relationship and deep friendship," Xi Jinping told Putin, who was in Beijing for the first time since he authorised the invasion of Ukraine in February last year.  The term "unlimited" partnership, which was used to describe the relationship during Putin's last visit to the Chinese capital in February 2022, days before Russia launched its attack on its neighbour, was not mentioned. 

The European Union (EU), one of China's largest trading partners, will not benefit from Xi Jinping's renewed praise for the partnership. Criticising Western attempts to reduce dependence on China's economy, the Asian giant's president issued a warning against disconnecting from China as he launched the One Belt, One Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing. Reiterating that "blueprints became real projects", Xi also praised the huge plan he put forward a decade ago to build international energy and infrastructure networks connecting Asia to Africa and Europe through land and sea routes.

Several heads of state, most notably Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi's "dear friend", attended the forum, along with delegates from more than 130 nations, most of whom were from the Global South. "We oppose supply chain disruption, decoupling, economic coercion and unilateral sanctions," Xi told the more than 1,000 delegates gathered in the Great Hall of the People, an elaborate conference hall located west of the Square around Tiananmen Square. 

As Xi began, Putin and other world leaders were seated in the front row alongside top Chinese officials from the 25-member Politburo. Xi resisted Western attempts to reduce dependence on China's economy, saying that "if we see economic interdependence as a risk and the development of others as a threat, our lives will not be better or our development will not happen faster". 

Western leaders argue that their goal is to 'de-risk', not 'decouple', from China, claiming they want to diversify supply chains that have become too dependent on the world's second-largest economy. As the most formidable and assertive Chinese leader in decades, Xi Jinping has been working harder to position China as a rival to the United States, offering a different approach to ensuring global security and development. 

China is pushing to present that vision to countries with which it has developed close ties over the past ten years, and hosting leaders in Beijing is an important part of that effort. This is China's first major international event since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as Xi Jinping sought to vastly expand his mandate. However, China is also grappling with serious domestic problems, including a faltering economy, high unemployment rates and a series of recent mysterious changes in the leadership of the ruling Communist Party.