Xi flew to Russia after China scored a surprise diplomatic success in the Middle East, a region once dominated by the U.S., by brokering an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic ties for the first time in seven years.
China’s economy faces a serious slowdown after the end of the government’s strict “zero-Covid” policies, and Xi — who has just secured an unprecedented third term as president — is keen to demonstrate his status as a global leader, according to Victor Cha, who oversaw Asia policy on the White House National Security Council from 2004 to 2007 and now serves on the Defense Policy Board, which advises the defense secretary.
“He’s got a lot of problems at home and he’s looking for ways to justify his third term by saying China is playing this big global role now, and provide a counternarrative to what he sees as the West’s narrative about the liberal democratic order,” said Cha, now a professor at Georgetown University.
With U.S. and European Union sanctions cutting Russia off from Western energy markets and access to advanced U.S. and European technology, Beijing has offered Moscow an economic lifeline by buying its oil and gas, and selling semiconductors and other “dual use” items needed to keep the Kremlin’s war machine operating.
China spent $81.3 billion on imports of Russian oil, coal and natural gas last year, up from $52.1 billion in 2021, according to customs data analyzed by the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. No longer able to sell its oil and gas to Europe, Russia has exported its surplus energy at a steep discount to China, as well as other countries, saving them billions of dollars.
In a commentary published in the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on the eve of his trip, Xi touted an increase in trade between China and Russia and said his trip to Moscow would be “a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.”
In a veiled jab at the U.S., Xi added: “No…
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