In Chinese Tianjin, a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization began, at which the Prime Minister of India appeared for the first time in seven years. There will also be Vladimir Putin. This is the first foreign trip of the President of Russia from meeting Donald Trump in Alaska.
– We are actually dealing with two peaks in China. The first is a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. On this occasion, for the first time in seven years, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will appear in China, which takes place after the last exacerbation of Washington and New Delhi's relations and is also a very important event – explains to Onet Radosław Pyffel, an international policy expert and geopolitics.
– The peak of the Shanghai cooperation organization will be talks about the new global architecture, and their second stage and somehow the culmination will be a great military parade in Beijing, which, as it happens with parades, will focus even more attention of the whole world. The presence of Putin, which seems to be the main guest in all this, is a certain symbol and signal for the world, and especially for Donald Trump and the United States, that the policy of driving a wedge between Moscow and Beijing does not bring too much effect. In my opinion, it is an element of a global game between China and the USA, with Russia and Russia – he adds.
Putin's red rugs
Vladimir Putin in Chinese Tianjin was greeted on the red carpet, and the whole was reported by Chinese and Russian media. What's more, the Chinese state television station CCTV defined Russian-Chinese relations as the best in history. A similar red carpet before Putin was developed by the US authorities during a meeting with Trump in Alaska.
“I think if Putin was now flying to New Delhi, he would also go to the red carpet. All this is part of the global game between China, the United States, Russia and India. The worst thing that could happen to China now would be to bring Russia and India closer to the United States. These chess is ongoing all the time. It is worth noting that during a meeting in Alaska, Trump did not talk to Putin from the position of strength. He did everything to get closer to Vladimir Putin – explains Radosław Pyffel.
– He did not take his colleagues responsible for security with him. He took those who are responsible for trade and business. The subject of Ukraine, after all, after all for Europe and Poland, it can be said that it did not exist at all, he was somewhere in the margins of the global agend discussed by the US and Russia. And earlier Trump tried to put the ultimatum to the President of Russia, set deadlines, and when they were not kept, he did not actually react and instead began to talk about the need to resume cooperation between Washington – Moscow. It could have aroused anxiety in Beijing – he adds.
Russia would win a war if China wanted
So we ask if China actually want to support Russia or use Putin only for their own games with the USA and West. – The Chinese minister recently said that if China wanted Russia to win the war in Ukraine, it would have happened a long time ago. And if China wanted to lose Russia, Russia would lose, and they don't want to. I think that from China's point of view, this is an attempt to reconcile several trends in relations with Russia. They don't want Russia to lose completely. Also, they do not want Putin to approach Trump too much – explains international policy expert.
– I think that the war in Ukraine puts in a very difficult situation of the USA and thus is used to destabilize this global order in which the United States was a hegemon. Added to this is the fear that Russia, instead of acting a hand in hand with China in limiting the US influence, will someday turn away from them, approaching Washington. Therefore, Beijing will try to prevent this and hence the red rugs before Putin is “obvious obvious” – explains the expert.
Representatives of over 20 countries heads of 10 international organizations will take part in the two -day Szow peak, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. In China, there will also be Aleksander Łukashenko. During the great parade on the occasion of the end of the war, there will also be Robert Fico, the premiere of Slovakia, who openly supports Putin.
For Putin, one of the most important topics of the trip to China is to be trade, which has significantly weakened since the invasion of Ukraine. The last moves seem more important on the India-USA line. The United States imposed giant duties on the New Delhi for buying Russian oil.
– The US tried to block this sale, but India's answer was firm. They turned to this towards China, which is why this personal presence of Modi in Tianjin at the summit of the Shanghai cooperation organization is so important, symbolic, because it occurs after seven years of absence – indicates Radosław Pyffel.
Continued article under video material
Putin plays his own game
In turn, what benefits from a visit to China in turn Putin himself? The expert points out that although China during the conflict with Ukraine stand on the side, they actually control the entire supply chain. It is China who produce most of the components needed to build a great war machine of Russia. That is why good cooperation with China is so important for Putin.
– In my opinion there is also a second bottom. It seems to me that Putin in relations with Trump and Xi Jinping will try to be a language at weight. He is looking for the greatest benefit. This metaphor of red rugs is very accurate. As long as they appear, Pigin will try to gain as much as possible. He plays his game. He will talk in China about great friendship, cooperation, great common successes – says Pyffel.
– All this has a huge symbolic dimension and will also be played propaganda for internal use. However, in the political dimension he will play the location of Russia at the point where as many world powers as possible will develop red rugs in front of it. And it is best for the US and China to do it at the same time – adds the expert.
Putin's visit to China will last until Wednesday.
