Xi Jinping painted similarities between the “hegemony” and the “rog haughty fascist forces” of modern America 80 years ago, ahead of the Moscow Summit and the celebration of Vladimir Putin on Thursday and the “Victory Day” of World War II.
China and Russia’s presidents are using visits to demonstrate the strength of their alliance to the US-led international order as President Donald Trump attempts to unleash tariffs in Beijing and push Moscow towards a peace deal with Ukraine.
“The world’s forces, including China and the Soviet Union, fought bravely and defeated the rog-ridden fascist forces side by side,” Xi wrote in an article published in Russian and Chinese media before arriving in Moscow on Wednesday.
He added: “Eighty years from now, one-sided, hegemony, bullying is extremely harmful. Humanity is at a crossroads once again.”
Moscow wrote a similar note in preparation for Thursday’s summit. This won the first summit between Putin and Xi’s neighborhood since Trump took office in January and strengthened the trade war.
According to the state’s Newswire TASS, the conference “sends a strong signal against attempts to rewrite the results of World War II,” while saying Europe “was prepared for a war with Russia like the Third Reich.”
However, the two leaders must overcome the challenges as China seeks to improve relations with Europe after being hit by US tariffs. Beijing also fears that Trump Putin Detente could have an impact on his partnership with Russia.
On Friday, XI will be attending the Red Square Parade, the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s World War II victory.
Preparations were undermined by a three-day Ukrainian drone strike in Russia, forcing Moscow Airport to close for several hours.
Xi uses the celebration of victory day, except for the railing over the United States, to remind the world of Beijing’s alleged sovereignty over Taiwan.
The Kremlin wants an image of Xi that underscores how Russian military power has overcome years of Western attempts to isolate Moscow over Ukrainian invasion. Putin justified the war through an unfounded comparison between Kiev’s government and Nazi Germany.
Beijing is not openly ally in the war, but he helped Moscow with weather sanctions. Bilateral trade surged from $147 billion in 2021 last year to $245 billion.
However, in recent months, bilateral exports have slowed to the lowest levels since the invasion began due to lower prices of Russian hydrocarbons and sluggish demand for Chinese cars.
“China-Russia’s economic ties are already very high due to the war in Ukraine, and there may not be many additional possibilities,” said Li Mingjiang, a professor at Nanyang University of Technology in Singapore.
To significantly increase trade with Russia, China needs to consider ambitious infrastructure projects such as the long-standing power of the Siberian-2 gas pipeline.
Russia is suffering from war-driven high inflation and has limited ability to absorb even more Chinese products, he added.
But if Trump refuses to sign a contract with China over tariffs, Beijing could “stop compassion” about US sanctions on Russia, Gabuyev said. “If there’s a 125% tariff, they can ruin themselves and tell them to do whatever they want with Russia,” he said.
The US trade war could also be potentially limited, allowing Beijing to approach Europe and XI to deepen relations with Russia. Some Chinese experts said they hope that Russia will sign a US-mediated peace agreement with Ukraine just to simplify relations with Europe.
“If the war ends, China will ultimately be able to finish this tightrope walk between Russia and the West and return to a smoother relationship between the great powers. The Ukrainian war is always plaguing China.”
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Li from Nanyang Technological University said that China will not be openly divided with Russia, but “Chinese officials will not be quietly surprised.
Xi did not mention Ukraine in his article. Instead, he attacked the “war criminals” of World War II, describing China and Russia as “constructive forces to maintain global strategic stability,” and sought support for the UN Charter.
However, analysts said his message raises some eyebrows given Putin’s biggest conflict in Europe in violation of UN rules since World War II and was accused of war crimes.
“People will see sarcasm and contradictions,” Lee said. “It will definitely undermine the effectiveness of these Chinese narratives for other international communities.”
