In Beijing, Russia’s Defense Chief Hails Shared Views With China

Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov attends the APEC Leader's Dialogue with APEC Business Advisory Council in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC summit, in Bangkok on Nov. 18, 2022. Sakchai Lalit/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

China and Russia publicly reinforced their alliance as their top defense officials met in Beijing, rebuffing U.S. pressure ahead of an expected meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Russia next week.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met on Oct. 15 with Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, a top military decision-making body chaired by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Belousov told Zhang that Russia and China “share the same views, the same assessment of the current situation, and the same understanding of the measures” they have to take together, according to a readout released by the Russian Defense Ministry.

He described discussions with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun the day before as “very fruitful.”

Because of the efforts by Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two countries have developed a “strategic partnership,” Belousov said without specifying.

“Our task is to strengthen and develop it,” he said.

In response, Zhang told Belousov that the Sino–Russia relationship has reached “an all-time high” and “continues to develop healthily and steadily,” according to the Chinese statement.

Zhang urged both sides to deepen military-to-military relations and “safeguard their respective national sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

Putin and Xi declared a partnership with “no limits” in February 2022, less than three weeks before the Russian leader ordered an invasion of Ukraine. The two leaders issued a 5,000-word joint document in which Russia endorsed the Chinese Communist Party’s territorial claims on self-ruled Taiwan and China backed the Kremlin in opposing the further enlargement of NATO, a key justification for the invasion.

Since then, Beijing has refrained from publicly denouncing Moscow’s action and has expanded its trade with Russia, reaching a total volume of $240 billion last year, thus providing Moscow with a vital lifeline as it was hit by Western sanctions.

Belousov’s visit to China occurred against the backdrop of China’s war game against Taiwan. On Oct. 14, when Belousov landed in Beijing, the Chinese military launched another large-scale military exercise encircling Taiwan. Beijing said the war game, involving its army, navy, air force, and rocket forces, was designed to send a strong warning against what it called “separatist action” by the independent forces in Taiwan, drawing condemnation from the United States, the European Union, the UK, and Japan.

On the same day, the Chinese navy also conducted a joint drill with its Russian counterpart in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where they engaged in “combat exercises with practical firing,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The top Russian defense official’s visit also happened ahead of a potential meeting between Putin and Xi in Russia next week.

Xi has accepted the invitation to attend the summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies in Kazan, Russia, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, told Putin, according to the Kremlin’s account of their meeting on Sept. 12. The Chinese readout published by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no mention of this detail. This year’s BRICS summit is scheduled to start on Oct. 22.

On Oct. 16, Russian Premier Mikhail Mishustin reiterated the warm welcome to Xi’s upcoming visit.

“Next week, our leaders will meet at the BRICS summit in Kazan,” Mishustin told his Chinese counterpart in Islamabad, Pakistan, according to the Russian readout. “And we are, of course, expecting our friend, Mr. Xi Jinping.”

In response, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reaffirmed the two nations’ bond and pledged to defend the specific interests of autocratic nations.

“[China and Russia] firmly stand by each other on issues that concern our fundamental interests,” Li told Mishustin, according to the summary of the meeting published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “Our strategic cooperation is effective, and our practical cooperation continues to grow.”

The Chinese regime has indicated it won’t stop aiding Russia’s war efforts after the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on almost 400 entities and individuals from more than a dozen jurisdictions, including China.

During a meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in September, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised a “strong concern” over Beijing’s support to Russia’s industrial base as Putin pressed the invasion.

According to Blinken, 70 percent of Russia’s machine tools and 90 percent of its microelectronics imports come from China.

“Our intent is not to decouple Russia from China,” Blinken told reporters after the meeting in New York City. “Their relationship is their business. But insofar as that relationship involves providing Russia what it needs to continue this war, that’s a problem—it’s a problem for us, and it’s a problem for many other countries, notably in Europe, because right now Russia presents the greatest threat, not just to Ukrainian security, but to European security since the end of the Cold War.”