Advertisement
My Take | Putin’s China visit confirms West’s worst fears about emerging Beijing-Moscow axis
- Following summit between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, the two sides vow to take on Washington’s ‘dual containment’ policy aimed at Russia and China
- Cosying up to Russian leader could inflame US ties and alienate Europe, but increasingly isolated Beijing cannot afford to lose influence over Moscow
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
9
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China last week has confirmed the worst fears of many diplomatic observers about the emergence of an anti-West axis between Beijing and Moscow.
Advertisement
While Putin has made no secret about his stance since he invaded Ukraine two years ago, Beijing had been deliberately vague about where it actually stood.
Putin’s visit came as Chinese President Xi Jinping sought to stabilise ties with Europe with a tour of France, Serbia and Hungary the week before, during which European leaders repeatedly called on Beijing to distance itself from Moscow.
In recent weeks, Brussels has joined Washington in a campaign to pressure China over its alleged role in sustaining Russia’s war in Ukraine, effectively urging Beijing to choose between Moscow and the West.
As US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel put it last week, Beijing “cannot have it both ways and want to have [better] relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time”, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Advertisement
“The People’s Republic of China cannot have its cake and eat it too,” he added.
Advertisement