Xi and Putin v. Everyone
“Chinese leader Xi Jinping landed in Russia on Monday for a much-anticipated three-day state visit, taking a joint stand with President Vladimir Putin against the West even as the Russian leader stands accused by the International Criminal Court of war crimes in Ukraine.
The two men, each positioned as “leader for life” of a nuclear power, celebrated their “no limits” relationship in Beijing together in early 2022, just weeks before Putin ordered his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and they have met about 40 times. But Monday’s visit, the first by Xi since the invasion, represents a display of tacit support by China for the war, and a personal triumph for Putin, who is eager to show he is not isolated on the international stage.”
In sharp contrast to the condemnations Vladimir Putin is receiving from the West, the Chinese premier is in Russia as a show of solidarity with the Russian premier. The two nations are becoming more closely aligned in what could be the dawn of a new Cold War with global superpowers in direct conflict with one another. The Unites States now must decide if further efforts to engage China will be fruitful in order to stop a potential conflict escalation or if the new levels of distrust and acrimony are more set in stone. These decisions will affect the next 50 years of American foreign policy.
