Chinese president scheduled to visit Russia next week, first visit since Russian invasion of Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Moscow on Wednesday for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. 

The Chinese leader’s planned visit signals Beijing’s growing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid rising tensions between Russia and the Western democracies, including Israel. 

In a news brief, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, confirmed that the Chinese president “will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern, promote strategic cooperation and practical cooperation between the two countries, and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.”

“Currently, the world is entering a new period of turbulences and reform with the accelerated evolution of changes of the century. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and important major countries, the significance and impact of the China-Russia relations go far beyond the bilateral sphere,” Wenbin said.

China officially claims to be neutral in the Ukraine conflict, the Beijing regime, itself, has tense relations with the West and has refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While speaking with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang stressed that Beijing has “always upheld an objective and fair stance on the Ukraine issue, has committed itself to promoting peace and advancing negotiations and calls on the international community to create conditions for peace talks.”

China officially states that the territorial sovereignty of all countries must be respected, however, it has refused to condemn Moscow’s territorial claims to Crimea and other Ukrainian territories. The Chinese regime’s tacit support of Russia’s territorial ambitions is likely connected to China’s own ambitions to conquer its neighbor Taiwan, which is not recognized as an independent country by many nations. 

After talking with the Chinese foreign minister, Kuleba wrote on social media that they had “discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity.”

“I underscored the importance of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy]’s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian foreign minister stated.