Live After Quit

Xi and Putin: United in Beijing Despite Rising Global Tensions

Leaders of two world superpowers, China and Russia, will meet in Beijing this week to showcase their joint front against the western countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be reuniting in the Chinese capital on June 6th in what has already been called a “strategic and tactical” move to show solidarity in a time of increasing division between their countries and the Western world. The two have met numerous times before, but this visit is being hyped as especially significant. It comes on the heels of the deterioration in ties between China and the West and follows a prolonged period of punitive trade and economic sanctions by the U.S. against both countries. Furthermore, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Russia later this month and a proposed meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump currently in the works, adds to the delicate diplomatic game playing out amidst rising tensions between the two sides. The two leaders are expected to discuss numerous issues including Political and security issues, the global economy, multilateralism, and the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic. President Putin underscored the unity between the two by saying in a recent interview that «China and Russia should coordinate their efforts in the international arena and implement joint actions.» Such coordination and joint action is set to be discussed and agreed on during the Moscow and Beijing meetings. However, U.S. President’s Donald Trump’s sudden firing of hawkish U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may soften the rhetoric between all parties; and the positive reception by markets of the news, gives us hope that mutually beneficial agreements can still be achieved without further divisions. The ultimate outcome of this meeting is dependent upon the tenor of the conversation that will take place, however, we can be sure that such a dialogue will be held under close international scrutiny.