Russia-China stitches 'alliance': What this means for US hegemony

Relations between Russia and China have entered a new era with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin declaring an ‘enduring economic partnership’. This comes as Xi makes a diplomatic push in his first trip abroad since re-election and in the backdrop of an international arrest warrant issued for Putin on war crimes in Ukraine. Xi in an op-ed prior to the trip in Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta had said the visit would be “a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.” “No model of governance is universal, and no single country should dictate the international order,” Xi wrote in a dig at the US. The trip comes a day after Japan’s Fumio Kishida on a surprise visit to Ukraine reaffirmed the West’s support for Kyiv. Xi and Putin, who met over 40 times in the past decade to forge close ties to oppose the US-dominated world order, held talks hours after the Chinese leader arrived in Moscow for a three-day state visit to a “grand welcome”. Let’s take a closer look at the alliance and what it means for US hegemony: What did they say? Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, who have known each other for years, smiled and shook hands before sitting down at the start of their meeting. They called each other “dear friend” and declared an ‘enduring economic partnership’. Putin congratulated Xi on his re-election and voiced hope for building even stronger ties. “China has made a colossal leap ahead in its development in recent years,” Putin said, adding that “it’s causing genuine interest all around the world, and we even feel a bit envious,” as Xi smiled. The Kremlin leader welcomed China’s proposals for a political settlement in Ukraine and noted Russia is open for talks. “We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect,” Putin said. “Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity.” “We hope that the strategic partnership between China and Russia will on the one hand uphold international fairness and justice, and on the other hand promote the common prosperity and development of our countries,” Xi said.

But in the end there was no diplomatic breakthrough on Ukraine.

As per The New York Times, The Chinese foreign ministry released a joint statement saying, “Russia reaffirmed that it was committed to restarting peace talks as soon as possible, and China expressed its approval.” [caption id=“attachment_12324702” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A multi-storey building burns after being attacked by Russian airstrike in Avdiivka, Ukraine. AP[/caption] “Settlement of the Ukraine crisis must respect the reasonable security concerns of every country and prevent the formation of confrontational blocs that add fuel to the flames,” the statement added. “Right now there are changes the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years,” Xi told Putin as per NPR. “And we are the ones driving these changes together.” What does this mean for US hegemony? Some say this is not a good outcome for US – or anyone. Victor Cha, who is on the Defence Policy Board, which advises the US Secretary of Defence, told NPR China could prolong the Ukraine war. “That’s not good for the US and the West because that means the war will just continue, and that’s not a positive outcome for anybody,” Cha said. Both Moscow and Beijing have accused Washington of trying to isolate them and hold back their development as they challenge it for regional and global leadership. As ex-US ambassador to Beijing Gary Locke explained to CNN, “China is trying to present itself as kind of a new force, standing up against the Western powers or the Western order. China and many of these other countries that are emerging much stronger economically and politically feel that they’re having to abide by the rules made by the United States and some of the European countries.” “And they feel that they should have a say in the so-called bylaws of the country club. And they really resent the heavy-handedness and the dominance of the United States and the European countries in terms of so much of world affairs.” In an increasingly multipolar world, the US and its allies have been unable to build a broad front against Putin. While 141 countries condemned Moscow in a United Nations vote marking the first anniversary of Russian troops rolling into Ukraine, several members of the G-20 — including India, China and South Africa — abstained. Many African nations also have refrained from openly criticizing Russia.

Others doubt the impact such an alliance could have.

“…whether China and Russia have truly forged the kind of united anti-US front long dreaded by Washington’s foreign policy professionals seems doubtful,” a CNN piece noted. The piece, however, noted that the United States is now facing a serious foreign policy challenge. “The US is simultaneously gearing up for what many experts warn could become a Cold War with China and waging a proxy fight in Ukraine with its foe in the 20th century’s version of that showdown. And China and Russia, together, have more capacity to frustrate American goals in Ukraine and elsewhere.” [caption id=“attachment_12311042” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] President Joe Biden[/caption] John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told CNN, “This is a marriage of convenience, not of affection, not of love … where they intersect is pushing back against the United States and our influence around the world.” “They’d like to change the rules of the game, and in each other, they see a useful foil.” Xi “would like to be seen and be taken seriously as a peacemaker,” said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China. “He’s more interested in that right now than actually doing specific things to attain peace in Ukraine. This is mostly about messaging.” Daly doubted China would provide major military support unless it sees a serious threat to President Vladimir Putin, Xi’s biggest ally in confronting the United States. But Daly said Xi casting himself as a mediator could help at the margins in Europe – and especially in developing nations which share little of the US enthusiasm for preserving an “international rules-based order.” Xi “doesn’t actually have to move the needle on peace or a ceasefire in Ukraine. All he has to do is profess interest in peace and, somewhat contradictorily, in sovereignty and respecting others’ territorial integrity and he gets what he needs.”

“I think there’s a bit of damage control going on now,” international affairs professor Thomas Christensen told NPR.

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“After Beijing offered its so-called peace proposal, it made sense for him to go and discuss it with Putin, because he can try to project, particularly to the developing world and to some European capitals, that China is a constructive force, that China is not simply fully siding with Russia but is trying to create peace,” the director of the China and the World Program at Columbia University added. Cha, now a a professor at Georgetown University, agreed. “He’s [Xi] got a lot of problems at home and he’s looking for ways to justify his third term by saying China is playing this big global role now, and provide a counternarrative to what he sees as the West’s narrative about the liberal democratic order,” added Cha. Although they boast of a “no-limits” partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. James Ryan, director of the Middle East program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said that China’s interest in the two countries was “purely economic.” “China is not going to be providing security guarantees to this deal,” he said. Sun said that China at least was stepping back from “wolf warrior” diplomacy – its shift in the past decade to a shrill, coercive style of dealing with other countries. “But if the question is have the Chinese been able to come up with a new alternative world order, I don’t think so.” Evan Feigenbaum, a former US official now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in an essay that China has already won support for its efforts in parts of the world less invested in the Ukraine war, such as Brazil. China’s diplomacy can only help, if not by much, in Europe – and there is no thought of winning over the United States, he said. “Beijing will have already concluded that Washington will dismiss any Chinese diplomatic activity as performative – a kind of Peking opera,” he wrote. “But the Americans are not China’s audience, so Beijing likely does not much care what Washington thinks.” [caption id=“attachment_12331482” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Chinese president Xi Jinping[/caption] Beijing’s leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions. Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal has “made a lot of people in the US uncomfortable.”

“The Chinese were just at the right time and the right place with the right relationships,” she said.

“They exploited the opportunity to be a mediator. In fact, they cannot mediate – there’s nothing they can offer.” What about Russia? Western pressure has made Russia increasingly reliant on Beijing, observers said. However, China has refrained from supplying Russia’s military — a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against China. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression and criticized Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing NATO and the United States of provoking Putin’s military action.

“China’s domination of Russia is complete.”

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So said Sam Greene, a Russia specialist at the Center for European Policy Analysis, on Twitter. “Putin tells his people he’s fighting for Russia’s sovereignty. In truth, he’s mortgaged the Kremlin to Beijing,” Greene wrote. Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, noted that Beijing is aiming at “getting Russia as a junior partner deeper into China’s pocket.” Dmitry Oreshkin, professor at Free University in Riga, Latvia, observed that Beijing benefits from tensions between Moscow and the West, by gaining access to cheap Russian energy resources. “It’s very convenient for China, which couldn’t get such a discount before,” he said. China will come to Russia’s aid – but within limits. “He’s not going to let Putin fail, but there’s a limit to how much he’s going to stick his neck out for Putin to succeed,” Cha told NBC. China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture fizzled. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged Xi “to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” He also said the US administration believes Xi could play “a constructive role” by speaking directly with Zelenskyy. [caption id=“attachment_12331462” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Russian president Vladimir Putin. AFP.[/caption] The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday any proposal that left Russian forces in place in Ukraine would merely let Moscow reequip and otherwise regain strength to resume its offensive. “Calling for a cease-fire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest,” he told reporters in Washington. “The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms.” Ukraine refuses to bend Kyiv officials say they won’t bend in their terms for a peace accord. Ukraine’s allies, meanwhile, are stepping up their support. The State Department announced Monday that the US will send Ukraine $350 million in weapons and equipment. The latest aid package includes ammunition, such as rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, fuel tanker trucks and riverine boats. In Brussels, European Union countries endorsed a fast-track procedure to provide Ukraine with artillery shells, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. He hailed “a historic decision” for the 27-nation bloc and Norway to send Ukraine 1 million 155 mm artillery shells within 12 months. Xi’s trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin doesn’t recognize the court’s authority and has rejected its move against Putin as “legally null and void.” China, the U

US and Ukraine also don’t recognize the ICC, but the decision tarnished Putin’s international standing.

China’s Foreign Ministry urged the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicization and double standards.” Russia’s Investigative Committee retaliated Monday by opening a criminal case against a prosecutor and three judges of the ICC over the arrest warrants issued for Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The committee called the ICC’s prosecution “unlawful” because it was, among other things, a “criminal prosecution of a knowingly innocent person.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.