China's Xi Jinping visits Moscow to discuss peace in Ukraine as Putin faces international arrest warrant
20 March 2023, 15:18 | Updated: 20 March 2023, 15:23
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit to show support for Vladimir Putin.
It comes just days after an arrest warrant was issued for the Russian president by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Despite Putin becoming increasingly isolated as his war in Ukraine grinds on, Beijing continues to offer support for Moscow while maintaining a cautious stance on the conflict.
Russia and China have previously described their relationship as a “no-limits friendship”, which may be put to the test as Xi plays peacemaker over the coming days.
Beijing has called for a ceasefire but Washington strongly rejected the idea as the effective ratification of the Kremlin's battlefield gains.
In February China unveiled a 12-point plan to end the Ukraine war, but the US has questioned the People’s Republic’s ability to act as a neutral player given its close ties with the Kremlin.
US government sources have claimed rounds of Chinese ammunition have been used in Ukraine, but China has denied all claims that it is planning to send lethal aid to Russia.
Jenny Mathers, an expert in Russian politics from Aberystwyth University, told LBC News that while China hasn’t come out in favour of the conflict, it hasn’t explicitly condemned it either.
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She said China has been able to “take some advantages” as a result of the conflict, as it is now able to buy Russian energy very cheaply and sell more of its products to Russia as a result of Western sanctions.
“China has been able to get some short-term gains out of this, but it has been reluctant to go too far down the path of being strongly in support of Russia - it certainly hasn’t gone down the path of supplying arms and ammunition,” Dr Mathers added.
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She said Putin is “looking for anything he can get from China” - from photo ops to new trade deals, as Russia tries to make the most of one of its closest friendships.
Beijing described Xi’s trip as a “visit for peace”, while Russia said the two allies will discuss co-operation on a range of issues.
Today China called on the ICC to "respect the jurisdictional immunity" of a head of state and "avoid politicisation and double standards".
The Kremlin, which does not recognise the authority of the ICC, has rejected its move as "legally null and void".
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Downing Street has said Xi should use his visit to urge Putin to halt the bombings and other “atrocities” in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "China has spoken previously about the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine.
"We would like to see President Xi advocate for this point when he speaks to Putin. This war and its assault on Ukraine's sovereignty could end today if Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine.
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"So we hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, and to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis."
Rishi Sunak, who has come under pressure from senior Tories to take a tougher line on China, described the country as an "epoch-defining challenge" earlier this month.
