Xi Jinping's State Visit to Russia Today... Will He Mediate the Ukraine War?

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left in the photo) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right in the photo).

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia on the 20th. With the Russia-Ukraine war continuing for over a year, the two countries are expected to focus on discussing ways to strengthen strategic cooperation against the United States.

According to announcements from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Xi will make a state visit to Russia from the 20th to the 22nd at the invitation of Russia and hold talks with President Putin.

This will be Xi's first visit to Russia in about 3 years and 9 months. The face-to-face meeting with President Putin will be the first in 7 months since the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Uzbekistan last September.

The two countries are expected to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between China and Russia during this meeting. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular press conference on the 17th, "In this meeting, the two sides will exchange in-depth views on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues."

Particularly, attention is focused on whether President Xi can play a meaningful mediator role regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. On the 24th of last month, marking one year since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, China announced its position on the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis and began mediation efforts. Some analysts suggest that President Xi is emphasizing the mediator role to highlight his image as a leader in the international community.

However, Western countries including the United States are on alert over the possibility that China may supply weapons to Russia during Xi's visit.

Moreover, with the confirmation on the 19th that Chinese-made ammunition was used on the Ukrainian battlefield, attention is focused on whether US-China tensions will escalate. Kyodo News reported that the US government analyzed the material of some ammunition used on the battlefield, identified China as the manufacturing country, and notified relevant countries with classified information.

So far, the Chinese government has claimed neutrality regarding the Ukraine war and denied providing weapons.