Chinese leader Xi Jinping's planned trip to Russia on Monday for a state visit comes as Beijing attempts to present itself as a neutral peace broker in the Ukraine war and as it struggles to balance its “no-limits” relationship with Moscow and fraying ties with the West.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday repeated Beijing's often-stated position that China-Russia relations are based on the principles of “non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties.”
Wang said Xi will discuss bilateral relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and “major international and regional issues,” while drawing a new blueprint for the two countries' relations and deepening cooperation in various fields.
Last month, China’s Foreign Ministry released a position paper on the Ukraine war that called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed Beijing's opposition to the use of nuclear weapons — a stance Xi communicated to Western leaders last year.
But Beijing’s claim to neutrality has been severely undermined by its refusal to acknowledge the nature of the conflict — it has so far avoided calling it an “invasion” — and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.
Western officials have also raised concerns that China may be considering providing Russia with lethal military assistance, an accusation denied by Beijing.
Wang, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, appeared to take aim at China's Western critics Friday, without naming any country specifically.
He said the partnership between Russia and China will “benefit both the two peoples and the world,” which is “completely different from the approach of certain countries that cling to the Cold War mentality, gang up on each other, engage in small circles and confrontations, and hegemonize and bully others.”