Key occasions
Mendacity just some hundred kilometres from the border with Russia, Harbin has lengthy served as a key hub for cross-border commerce and cultural alternate.
The Russian president will attend the opening ceremony of a Russia-China commerce expo on Friday, Moscow’s state information company Tass reported, and might be accompanied by Han Zheng, China’s vp.
Putin can even maintain a press convention with Russian media later within the day.
Putin is flanked by a big commerce delegation, which incorporates finance minister Anton Siluanov and central financial institution governor Elvira Nabiullina.
Others embrace the heads of Russia’s largest banks – Sberbank CEO German Gref and VTB chief Andrei Kostin – billionaire Oleg Deripaska, prime oil producer Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and liquefied pure fuel big Novatek’s boss, Leonid Mikhelson.
The Russian chief’s two-day to China journey comes as his nation’s forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv area that started final week in probably the most important border incursion for the reason that full-scale invasion started, forcing virtually 8,000 individuals to flee their properties.
“That is Putin’s first journey after his inauguration, and it’s due to this fact meant to indicate that Sino-Russian relations are shifting up one other stage,” impartial Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev informed AFP. “To not point out the visibly honest private friendship between the 2 leaders.”
China has strengthened its commerce and navy ties with Russia in recent times because the US and its allies imposed sanctions towards each international locations, significantly towards Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.
The west says China has performed an important function in serving to Russia stand up to the sanctions and has provided key know-how which Russia has used on the battlefield in Ukraine. China claims to take a impartial place within the battle, however has backed Moscow’s contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the west, regardless of Putin’s public avowals of his want to revive Russia’s century-old borders as the explanation for his assault.
China, as soon as the junior companion of Moscow within the international Communist hierarchy, stays by far probably the most highly effective of Russia’s associates on the earth.
Some photos are coming by way of on the wires of Putin arriving in Harbin and being greeted on the airport by Chinese language officers.
The connection between Russia and China has set an “instance of peaceable coexistence and win-win cooperation between main powers” that “contributes to regional and international peace, stability, and prosperity,” China’s state-run International Occasions newspaper stated in an editorial on Friday.
It praised the connection as “distinctive within the historical past of contemporary worldwide relations”, including:
The 2 international locations should not military-political allies, however reasonably symbolize a brand new mannequin of main energy relations characterised by non-alignment, non-confrontation, and never concentrating on any third nation.
It additionally wrote that the 2 international locations: “collectively oppose zero-sum video games and Chilly Battle mentality, group politics, confrontational blocs, dividing the world primarily based on ideology and political programs, and confrontational insurance policies and interference in different international locations’ inside affairs.”
China has nonetheless come underneath growing stress from the west to not provide Russia with items that may very well be utilized in its struggle towards Ukraine.
Final 12 months, bilateral commerce hit a document $240.1bn, and there are indicators that much more items – together with dual-use know-how that may very well be used within the struggle effort – are reaching Russia from China through third international locations.
Even with out direct arms shipments to Russia, western observers say China’s financial and political help for Russia has been a lifeline since February 2022. On Thursday, Putin stated he was “grateful” to China for its efforts to attempt to resolve “the Ukraine disaster”.
Opening abstract
Hi there and welcome to the Guardian’s dwell protection of Vladimir Putin’s go to to China.
The Russian president and his host, Chinese language President Xi Jinping, are visiting Harbin, a metropolis in north-east China as soon as often called “Little Moscow” due to its traditionally massive Russian inhabitants and Russian Orthodox-style structure.
The itinerary highlights the shut relationship between the 2 leaders and international locations, who on Thursday pledged to deepen their navy ties.
Enhanced financial cooperation can even be on the agenda. Russian state media has reported that Russia’s sovereign wealth fund will open an workplace in Harbin, and on Friday there might be a ceremony to mark the beginning of the China-Russia Expo, a commerce truthful.
In a press convention shortly after their assembly on Thursday, and earlier than the 2 leaders sat down for a celebratory live performance to mark the seventy fifth anniversary of formal China-Russia relations, Putin praised the “heat and comradely” talks with Xi.
In return, Xi stated the friendship between China and Russia was “eternal” and had “develop into a mannequin for a brand new sort of worldwide relations”.
Right here’s our full report on the primary day of the go to: