MOSCOW (Washington Insider Magazine)– A summit in Uzbekistan will bring together Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a Russian official announced on Wednesday.
According to Russian Envoy to China Andrei Denisov, the two presidents will meet during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15–16.
If the trip to Uzbekistan goes forward, it will be Xi’s first overseas trip in two and a half years. Prior to the meeting in Uzbekistan, Xi was reportedly planning to visit Kazakhstan, according to Russian media, although the rumors have not been substantiated.
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded to an inquiry regarding the Uzbekistan trip by saying, “On your question, I have nothing to offer.”
The last time Xi and Putin met was in February in Beijing, just before the Kremlin ordered soldiers into Ukraine. An agreement promising that ties between the parties would have “no limits” was signed under the supervision of the 2 presidents. It is yet unknown if Xi was aware of Russia’s intention to conduct what Moscow refers to as “a special military operation” in Ukraine at the time.
China has attempted to look impartial and avoid any potential repercussions by providing its covert assistance for Russia’s assault in Ukraine under international sanctions, as reported by ABC NEWS.
In order to counter liberal democratic movements in Asia, Europe, and beyond, Beijing and Moscow have actively coordinated their foreign policies. They are promoting authoritarian rule with strict borders and little concern for free expression, opposition parties, or minority rights.
In the midst of friction with the West over the military intervention in Ukraine, the Russian military conducted extensive military exercises in the country’s east that started last week and ended on Wednesday. These exercises included forces from China and were another sign of the two countries’ growing closeness.
Putin has stated that the potential of a military alliance cannot be ruled out, despite Beijing and Moscow’s earlier denials of such a scenario. He also mentioned that China has received extremely sensitive military technology from Russia, which has considerably improved China’s defense capabilities.
