Opinion | Like the belt and road, China-Russia ties show importance of cooperation

With Putin set to grace Xi’s Belt and Road Forum, the relationship shows that cooperation, not politically motivated hectoring, is the way forward in international relations

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Published: 5:30am, 17 Oct 2023Updated: 5:41am, 17 Oct 2023

In a sea of geopolitical turmoil that has only become more treacherous in the past weeks, it may be comforting to look at a stable relationship between the leaders of two major powers – China and Russia.

President Xi Jinping, who was re-elected for a third time this year, made his first foreign visit after that to Moscow in March. Now, President Vladimir Putin is returning the favour with a visit to China, signalling that the two countries remain committed to political dialogue and economic cooperation as the way forward in bilateral relations.

Since Xi was elected to his first term in 2013, he and Putin have met at least 40 times and exchanged many telephone calls and official letters. For the Russian president, his Chinese counterpart is arguably the most-met head of state, other than the leader of neighbouring Belarus, which is part of a union of Russia.

While the frequency of personal meetings and other contacts does not signify that the leaders agree on everything, there is no denying the two presidents are on the same page – or at least more so than either of them with any of their Western counterparts.

It is telling that Putin’s China visit will coincide with the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Like at the previous 2019 forum, the Russian leader is expected to address the participants of this major event and reconfirm Russia’s commitment to the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The attendance of Xi and Putin at the forum not only highlights that it is a high-profile event that will set the global development agenda for decades, but also that there is a high level of trust between China and Russia.

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.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}With Putin set to grace Xi’s Belt and Road Forum, the relationship shows that cooperation, not politically motivated hectoring, is the way forward in international relations

With Putin set to grace Xi’s Belt and Road Forum, the relationship shows that cooperation, not politically motivated hectoring, is the way forward in international relations