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The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that Chinese dictator Xi Jinping’s long-rumored visit to Moscow for a meeting with Vladimir Putin will take place next week, beginning with a one-on-one meeting and “informal dinner” on Monday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Xi and Putin, along with a number of their underlings, would hold talks on a broad range of subjects on Tuesday. Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Putin, said Russia’s war in Ukraine would be one of those subjects.
“I’m sure that our leader and the Chinese leader will exchange their assessments of the situation. We shall see what ideas will emerge after that,” Ushakov said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Xi would present “an objective and fair position on the Ukraine crisis and play a constructive role in promoting talks for peace.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin scoffed at the notion Xi and Putin are working to build an “alliance of evil” or “alliance of autocracy.”
“The China-Russia relationship is built on the basis of no-alliance, no-confrontation and no-targeting of any third party,” said Wang, apparently forgetting that one half of that partnership is currently waging a brutal war of conquest against a sovereign nation with massive civilian casualties.
“The two countries always follow the path of partnership over alliance and dialogue over confrontation, and grow a new type of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” Wang insisted.
Wang grew evasive when asked about reports that China is supplying military equipment and “dual-use” items to Russia, maintaining that “China-Russia cooperation is completely above board” without addressing the specific allegations.
