Putin arrived in Beijing , Xi Meets Putin as Tensions Rise With West

[beijingwalker]

Putin arrived in Beijing , Xi Meets Putin as Tensions Rise With West​

AFP
Feb. 4 2022

China's President Xi Jinping held his first face-to-face talks with a world leader in nearly two years on Friday, meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin who hailed "unprecedented" ties between the neighbors as tensions grow with the West.

Xi has not left China since January 2020, when the country was grappling with its initial Covid-19 outbreak and locked down the central city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected.

He is now embarking on a sudden flurry of diplomatic activity as more than 20 world leaders fly in for the Winter Olympics, an event China hopes will be a soft-power triumph and a shift away from a build-up blighted by a diplomatic boycott and Covid fears.

The two leaders met in the Chinese capital as their countries seek to deepen relations in the face of increasing criticism from the West.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1489501837321453568

Moscow's ties with Beijing are "developing progressively along the path of friendship and strategic partnership, they are of a truly unprecedented nature," Putin said in televised remarks at the start of their meeting.

Russia and China are an "example of a dignified relationship," Putin added.

He said that ahead of the meeting Moscow prepared a new contract for the supply of 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China from Russia's Far East.

The two strongmen will attend the Olympic opening ceremony later in the evening.

While Russian officials are banned from attending international sporting competitions over a doping scandal, they may attend if invited by the head of state of the host country.

Spiraling tensions with the West have bolstered ties between the world's largest nation and its most populous, and Putin was the first foreign leader to confirm his presence at the Olympics.

"I have known President Xi Jinping for a long time," CCTV quoted Putin as saying in a report on Friday.
"As good friends and politicians who share many common views on solving world problems, we have always maintained close communication."

Article by Putin​

China's state-run Xinhua news agency also carried an article from Putin on Thursday in which the Russian leader painted a portrait of two neighbors with increasingly shared global goals.
He also hit out at the U.S.-led Western diplomatic boycott of the Olympics that was sparked by China's human rights record.
"Sadly, attempts by a number of countries to politicize sports for their selfish interests have recently intensified," Putin wrote, calling such moves "fundamentally wrong."


For its part, China has become more vocal in backing Russia in its dispute with NATO powers over Ukraine.

Last week, China's foreign minister Wang Yi called Russia's security concerns "legitimate", saying they should be "taken seriously and addressed."

Moscow is looking for support after its deployment of 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine prompted Western nations to warn of an invasion and threaten "severe consequences" in response to any Russian attack.

China enjoyed plentiful support from the Soviet Union — the precursor to the modern Russian state — after the establishment of Communist rule in 1949, but the two socialist powers later fell out over ideological differences.

Relations got back on track as the Cold War ended in the 1990s, and the pair have pursued a strategic partnership in recent years that has seen them work closely on trade, military and geopolitical issues.

Those bonds have strengthened further during the Xi era, at a time when Russia and China find themselves increasingly at odds with Western powers.

Other leaders set to enjoy Xi's hospitality during the Games include Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Poland's Andrzej Duda.

In total around 21 world leaders are expected to attend the Games.

A majority of those leaders rule over non-democratic regimes, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, with 12 labeled either "authoritarian" or a "hybrid regime".

Xi Meets Putin as Tensions Rise With West - The Moscow Times

China's President Xi Jinping held his first face-to-face talks with a world leader in nearly two years on Friday, meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin who hailed "unprecedented" ties between the neighbors as tensions grow with the West.

www.themoscowtimes.com

 

[Apollon]

Putin arrived in Beijing , Xi Meets Putin as Tensions Rise With West​

AFP
Feb. 4 2022

China's President Xi Jinping held his first face-to-face talks with a world leader in nearly two years on Friday, meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin who hailed "unprecedented" ties between the neighbors as tensions grow with the West.

Xi has not left China since January 2020, when the country was grappling with its initial Covid-19 outbreak and locked down the central city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected.

He is now embarking on a sudden flurry of diplomatic activity as more than 20 world leaders fly in for the Winter Olympics, an event China hopes will be a soft-power triumph and a shift away from a build-up blighted by a diplomatic boycott and Covid fears.

The two leaders met in the Chinese capital as their countries seek to deepen relations in the face of increasing criticism from the West.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1489501837321453568

Moscow's ties with Beijing are "developing progressively along the path of friendship and strategic partnership, they are of a truly unprecedented nature," Putin said in televised remarks at the start of their meeting.

Russia and China are an "example of a dignified relationship," Putin added.

He said that ahead of the meeting Moscow prepared a new contract for the supply of 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China from Russia's Far East.

The two strongmen will attend the Olympic opening ceremony later in the evening.

While Russian officials are banned from attending international sporting competitions over a doping scandal, they may attend if invited by the head of state of the host country.

Spiraling tensions with the West have bolstered ties between the world's largest nation and its most populous, and Putin was the first foreign leader to confirm his presence at the Olympics.

"I have known President Xi Jinping for a long time," CCTV quoted Putin as saying in a report on Friday.
"As good friends and politicians who share many common views on solving world problems, we have always maintained close communication."

Article by Putin​

China's state-run Xinhua news agency also carried an article from Putin on Thursday in which the Russian leader painted a portrait of two neighbors with increasingly shared global goals.
He also hit out at the U.S.-led Western diplomatic boycott of the Olympics that was sparked by China's human rights record.
"Sadly, attempts by a number of countries to politicize sports for their selfish interests have recently intensified," Putin wrote, calling such moves "fundamentally wrong."


For its part, China has become more vocal in backing Russia in its dispute with NATO powers over Ukraine.

Last week, China's foreign minister Wang Yi called Russia's security concerns "legitimate", saying they should be "taken seriously and addressed."

Moscow is looking for support after its deployment of 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine prompted Western nations to warn of an invasion and threaten "severe consequences" in response to any Russian attack.

China enjoyed plentiful support from the Soviet Union — the precursor to the modern Russian state — after the establishment of Communist rule in 1949, but the two socialist powers later fell out over ideological differences.

Relations got back on track as the Cold War ended in the 1990s, and the pair have pursued a strategic partnership in recent years that has seen them work closely on trade, military and geopolitical issues.

Those bonds have strengthened further during the Xi era, at a time when Russia and China find themselves increasingly at odds with Western powers.

Other leaders set to enjoy Xi's hospitality during the Games include Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Poland's Andrzej Duda.

In total around 21 world leaders are expected to attend the Games.

A majority of those leaders rule over non-democratic regimes, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, with 12 labeled either "authoritarian" or a "hybrid regime".

Xi Meets Putin as Tensions Rise With West - The Moscow Times

China's President Xi Jinping held his first face-to-face talks with a world leader in nearly two years on Friday, meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin who hailed "unprecedented" ties between the neighbors as tensions grow with the West.

www.themoscowtimes.com

Its most bizarre games ever since almost no democratic nations participate

 

[beijingwalker]

Putin arrives in Beijing

Its most bizarre games ever since almost no democratic nations participate

Who needs US and its lapdogs?

 

[Nevsky]

The joint declaration:

“The parties oppose the further expansion of Nato, call on the North Atlantic alliance to abandon the ideologised approaches of the cold war, respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilisational and cultural-historical patterns, and treat the peaceful development of other states objectively and fairly,” the document read.

In a nod to Russian interests in Ukraine, China said it “understands and supports the proposals put forward by the Russian Federation on the formation of long-term legally binding security guarantees in Europe,” the document read.
“The parties oppose the formation of closed bloc structures and opposing camps in the Asia-Pacific region, and remain highly vigilant about the negative impact of the US Indo-Pacific strategy on peace and stability in this region,” it read.

“We are working together to bring to life true multilateralism,” Xi told Putin, according to the Kremlin translation of their remarks. “Defending the real spirit of democracy serves as a reliable foundation for uniting the world in overcoming crises and defending equality.”

"The Russian side reaffirms its support for the One-China principle, confirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan," the joint statement said.

 

[beijingwalker]

Ukraine crisis: Russia and China show united front amid rising tensions with West​

Russian President Vladimir Putin - the most high profile guest in attendance - arrived in Beijing on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Megan Baynes

Friday 4 February 2022 11:16, UK

Russia and China have put on a united front as the country's leaders met in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, with the two looking to present themselves as a counterweight to the US and its allies.

China said it supports Russia's demands for security guarantees from the West, as both countries called on NATO to turn its back on "Cold War approaches".

It comes as Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed US claims that Moscow is planning a fake attack to justify an invasion of Ukraine as "nonsense".

Ukraine crisis: Putin and Xi say there are 'no limits' to their nations' friendship amid rising tensions with West

Russian President Vladimir Putin - the most high profile guest in attendance - is in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

news.sky.com

 

[beijingwalker]

Russia, China agree 30-year gas deal via new pipeline to supply gas to China​

February 4, 20227:39 PM GMT+8

The deal would be settled in euros, the source added, in line with efforts by the two states to diversify away from U.S. dollars.

• Russia already sells pipeline gas, LNG to China
• Gazprom to sell additional 10 bcm of gas to China
• Flows in new pipeline within three years, says source
• Russia at loggerheads with Europe over Ukraine

SINGAPORE, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Russia has agreed a 30-year contract to supply gas to China via a new pipeline and will settle the new gas sales in euros, bolstering an energy alliance with Beijing amid Moscow's strained ties with the West over Ukraine and other issues.

Gazprom , which has a monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline, agreed to supply Chinese state energy major CNPC with 10 billion cubic metres of gas a year, the Russian firm and a Beijing-based industry official said.

First flows through the pipeline, which will connect Russia's Far East region with northeast China, were due to start in two to three years, the source said in comments that were later followed by an announcement of the deal by Gazprom.

Russia already sends gas to China via its Power of Siberia pipeline, which began pumping supplies in 2019, and by shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG). It exported 16.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to China in 2021.

Russia-China plan new gas pipeline

The Power of Siberia network is not connected to pipelines that send gas to Europe, which has faced surging gas prices due to tight supplies, one of several points of tension with Moscow.

Under plans previously drawn up, Russia aimed to supply China with 38 bcm of gas by pipeline by 2025.

The new deal, which coincided with a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Beijing Winter Olympics, would add a further 10 bcm, increasing Russian pipeline sales under long-term contracts to China. read more

Gazprom gave few details about the deal in its announcement.

Russian gas from its Far East island of Sakhalin will be transported via pipeline across the Japan Sea to northeast China's Heilongjiang province, reaching up to 10 bcm a year around 2026, said the Beijing source, who asked not to be identified.

The deal would be settled in euros, the source added, in line with efforts by the two states to diversify away from U.S. dollars.

A CNPC representative did not immediately comment.

Discussions between the two firms began several years ago after the start-up of Power of Siberia, a 4,000-km (2,500-mile)pipeline sending gas to China. Talks accelerated more recently after Beijing set its 2060 carbon neutral goal, the source said.

"China's coal shortage last year served as another wake-up call that natural gas has its special value, that's why CNPC decided to top up with the new pipeline deal," the source said.

A CNPC representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The pricing of the new gas deal will be similar to that of Power of Siberia, the source said, adding that both were "fairly satisfied" with that arrangement.

Russia, China agree 30-year gas deal via new pipeline, to settle in euros

Russia has agreed a 30-year contract to supply gas to China via a new pipeline and will settle the new gas sales in euros, bolstering an energy alliance with Beijing amid Moscow's strained ties with the West over Ukraine and other issues.

www.reuters.com

 

[Beidou2020]

Why sell in euros? This is a trade between China and Russia. Euro is a Western currency that can be sanctioned. Only yuan and ruble should be used.

Great powers have great currencies.

 

[vostok]

Its most bizarre games ever since almost no democratic nations participate

Everyone participates, only politicians do not.

 

[Apollon]

Everyone participates, only politicians do not.

The games are dead, there is zero feeling for it at moment. If it would not for this forum i would not even know it started today. So it definitly is different than ever before.

 

[beijingwalker]

The games are dead, there is zero feeling for it at moment. If it would not for this forum i would not even know it started today. So it definitly is different than ever before.

Or maybe this meeting is more important than the game, it's another global non western leaders gathering, maybe this is what China is after.

 

[Englishman]

Its most bizarre games ever since almost no democratic nations participate

The democratic nations have been wreaking havoc across the planet with their illegal wars etc. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Also as a Greek I'd have thought you would show more respect to the Chinese seen as they rescued your economy whilst your European Union fellows did nothing?

 

[Apollon]

The democratic nations have been wreaking havoc across the planet with their illegal wars etc. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Also as a Greek I'd have thought you would show more respect to the Chinese seen as they rescued your economy whilst your European Union fellows did nothing?

As Greek i only respect Greeks and to a degree the egyptians. All others exist only to serve us or our interests. Once those interests are fullfilled, they get thrown away.

On a sidenote, wars are never illegal. Wars are diplomacy with other tools, this and nothing else.

How much we respect China you can see on the fact that our primeminister did not visit the Olympic games and and does not plan to visit. Thats a huge blow since the Olympic games are
basicly a greek thing.

So what we have now in China is a autocratic event between China and Russia, virtually no attention from democratic nations and a massive damage to the olympic games in general

 

[Englishman]

As Greek i only respect Greeks and to a degree the egyptians. All others exist only to serve us or our interests. Once those interests are fullfilled, they get thrown away.

On a sidenote, wars are never illegal. Wars are diplomacy with other tools, this and nothing else.

Come back to us once you've sobered up.

 

[Apollon]

Come back to us once you've sobered up.

You obviously never read the classics about war and diplomacy?

Carl von Clausewitz labelled war as diplomacy with other tools. Its a famous quote and i thought you would know.

If you believe Greece has any deeper feelings for China you must be quite naive. We took the money and when they are not needed anymore, they get thrown under the bus. Nations have no friends, only interests. We share nothing with China, beside that both are ancient nations. Their culture and way of thinking is alien to us. There is no connection.

The economic crisis is over and we have different interests now, mostly in defense and in that area China is useless for us.

 

[TNT]

As Greek i only respect Greeks and to a degree the egyptians. All others exist only to serve us or our interests. Once those interests are fullfilled, they get thrown away.

On a sidenote, wars are never illegal. Wars are diplomacy with other tools, this and nothing else.

How much we respect China you can see on the fact that our primeminister did not visit the Olympic games and and does not plan to visit. Thats a huge blow since the Olympic games are
basicly a greek thing.

So what we have now in China is a autocratic event between China and Russia, virtually no attention from democratic nations and a massive damage to the olympic games in general

Isnt that too arrogant from sick man of Europe? Lolz and its winter Olympics, no one ever gives much importance to winter Olympics, infact this time it got hyped.