(RepublicanDaily.org) – In a seeming rebuke to the call of Democratic New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for China to keep its distance from Russia, China spared no expense in its welcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin who visited the country recently.
China rolled out the red-carpet welcome for Putin – who has an outstanding warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court – and was treated to a complete honor guard ceremony as he was greeted by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
The visit was ostensibly aimed at showcasing the two countries’ “no-holds” friendship and partnership, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. The two have allied with each other – China is supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while Moscow is backing Beijing’s push for greater global dominance. The two have forged an informal alliance of sorts against the United States and many other Western powers.
China has faced difficulties in its relationship with the U.S., which has sought to temper China’s growth by limiting the extent of both government and private relationships between parties that belong to either country. As a result, China has turned to countries like Russia. The Chinese benefit from being able to sell its technology to Russia, while at the same time importing large amounts of oil and gas from the latter, which in turn helps Russia secure more funding.
The relationship between the two countries has been complicated by the Israel and Hamas war in the Middle East, as China has ties to Israel but also seeks to avoid excluding Iran and Syria, which are in turn allied with Russia. The two countries have sought to counter U.S. sentiment regarding Israel’s right to retaliate against Hamas and have instead called for a ceasefire in the region.
Analysts have also speculated that Putin may use the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East to shift the focus away from his continued offensive in Ukraine, as well as lessen the support the country has been receiving from countries in the West.
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