The level of cooperation and trust between China and Russia is once again under close scrutiny, as Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Russia for a three-day visit.
On June 5, Xi arrived in Kremlin for his eighth visit to Russia since he took the helm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012.
Amid growing trade tensions with the United States, Xi appeared especially keen to build economic ties with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Xi added that he and Putin agreed to integrate Beijing’s foreign policy of “One Belt, One Road” initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), an EU-like international body consisting of five members: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Beijing established One Belt, One Road (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road) in 2013 to build up geopolitical influence via investments across Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
“We would develop our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation in this new era and raise our bilateral relations to a new and higher level,” Xi stated.
Deals
According to Russian news agency TASS, around 30 intergovernmental and commercial agreements between the two countries were signed during Xi’s visit. One involved Russia’s natural gas producer Novatek, which inked a liquefied natural gas (LNG) deal with China’s state-run oil company Sinopec.The two leaders also attended the launch of a Chinese car factory south of Moscow.
Concerns
Some analysts believe the Sino-Russia relationship is not as rosy as the two heads of state describe.The article explained that the minimal use of words such as “economy” and trade” in the two leaders’ public statements indicated that the two sides had divergent views on trade cooperation.
“Ultimately, the potential for China-Russia trade remains hamstrung by both sides’ heavy-handed political interference in economic affairs,” Tiezzi concluded.
“The Russia-China relationship is more of...strategic solidarity and convenience over mutual interests,” Collins explained.
But it was clear that Beijing sought to lean on Russia economically as trade negotiations have deteriorated with its biggest trading partner, the United States.
While CODA describes itself as a nonprofit on its website, its current and past leaders have had ties with the CCP, including its current chairman Hu Weiping, who retired a post at China’s National Development and Reform Commission, an agency under the State Council.
He added that Chinese goods produced in Russia could then be sold in the United States and Europe.
Xi, along with about 1,000 Chinese officials and business executives, were expected to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual event for Russia’s economic sector, which opened on June 6 and lasts for three days.