(LibertySociety.com) – On February 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in more than two years. The two released a joint statement about current world events. The leaders want the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to stop expanding in the region and to “abandon its ideologized cold war” antics. According to the meeting results, Putin and Xi want NATO to respect other countries’ sovereignty. That seems a bit ironic, considering the Kremlin’s massive troop presence on the Ukrainian border.
Their joint commitment for “back-to-back strategic coordination” between Russia and China was probably most concerning.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing Friday — though it's unlikely he'll find much of a helping hand from China in the face of strident sanctions promised by the West if Moscow invades Ukraine. https://t.co/7krkvXJR4n
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) February 4, 2022
Not only do the two countries appear to stand together, referring to themselves as “world powers,” their statement criticizes NATO’s approach to the international issues at hand. If things escalate between Russia and Ukraine, the statement gives the impression that Beijing intends on standing behind the Kremlin. In turn, the Russian leader outlined his opposition to Taiwan’s independence, backing China’s position.
The leaders go on to talk about promoting democracy and protecting human rights while also condemning those who use their ideologies to “put pressure on other countries.” Putin will meet with the leaders of France and Germany in the coming weeks.
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