AS U.S. BEATS THE WAR DRUMS, PUTIN MEETS CHINA’S TOP DEFENSE MINISTER – HOLD HIGHLY-SECRET, CLOSED-DOOR TALKS – EVEN AS PRO-RUSSIA EXPERTS WARN AGAINST TRUSTING ‘EMPTY TALK’ MACRON – DON’T FOR A MOMENT THINK THAT PARIS, A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY OF GLOBAL PARASITES (EU, NATO), WILL DARE TO ‘COMMIT TREASON AGAINST THEIR PATRON ACROSS THE OCEAN (U.S.)’
Putin meets with Chinese defense minister
President Vladimir Putin has personally greeted China’s State Councilor and Defense Minister Li Shangfu at the Kremlin on Sunday, alongside his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu. The defense chief, who happens to be under Russia-linked US sanctions, arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit – the first foreign trip since his appointment last month.
According to the transcript of the meeting shared by the Kremlin, Putin noted the “active” and comprehensive cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the defense sphere, including constant exchanges of “useful information,” military-technical cooperation, and joint military exercises in various domains.
“Undoubtedly, this is another crucial area that strengthens the extremely trusting, strategic nature of our relations,” in addition to economic, social, cultural, educational and other spheres, Putin said.
Li’s tightly-packed trip comes just weeks after Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in Moscow on his first state visit since re-election, where he and Putin vowed to “further deepen mutual military trust” and signed a joint statement declaring that the friendship between the two nations has “no limits.”
Breakdown: What is known about the surrounded Ukrainian troops in Artyomovsk (Bakhmut)
Li noted that Russia-China relations have “already entered a new era” and “surpass any military-political alliances of the Cold War” and are built on the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting against third parties.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also attended the meeting, but the Kremlin only revealed the welcoming remarks and shared no details of private discussions. In his remarks Putin noted Li’s “quite extensive” plans for the visit, but the Chinese Defense Ministry revealed almost nothing about his schedule, besides confirming that from April 16 to 19 he is expected to hold talks with multiple high-ranked Russian military officials and visit military academies.
China’s National People’s Congress appointed General Li Shangfu as the country’s defense minister last month, at a time of growing confrontation with the US and rising tensions over Taiwan. In 2018, the US blacklisted Li as the then-head of the Equipment Development Department for “engaging in significant transactions with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms export entity.”
China has remained neutral in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow or send weapons to either side, instead calling for a peaceful resolution to the hostilities. Nevertheless, the US has seen the growing relations between Moscow and Beijing as a threat to its geopolitical dominance, as stated last week by CIA director William Burns. RT
Timofey Bordachev: Here’s why Macron’s call to break away from US control is just meaningless posturing
Today, the words spoken in public by Western leaders, even the most senior, have no strategic significance but are merely an element of tactical maneuvering. So, it’s impossible to draw any far-reaching conclusions from them.
This is also true of recent urgings from French president Emmanuel Macron, who declared that Western Europe “must fight for strategic autonomy.”
These words have little value. The French leader’s speech should not be seen as a sign of some kind of “sovereign awakening” from the NATO Europeans at a time when, for objective reasons, they are fully signed up to the united community of countries led by the US. The Western coalition has not been this divided for a long time, and all the events around Ukraine confirm this.
It is interesting to note, however, that this empty verbal posturing is not just the work of an EU official but of a man accompanied by an officer with a ‘nuclear suitcase.’ France, it should be remembered, has the fourth largest stockpile of atomic weapons in the world. But, unlike Russia, America or China, membership of the club of the world’s most powerful military states does not give the Fifth Republic any real foreign-policy advantages.
Not so much in terms of its formal status – here it is just fine, as the size of the red carpet during Macron’s visit to Beijing confirmed. However, Paris cannot influence the content of international policy. And while in the case of Germany we can speak of a formal ‘dissolution’ of its sovereignty, in France we are talking about its de facto, self-imposed disappearance. This makes the French case even more grotesque.
The amazing thing is that we are not just talking about a country that once miraculously built its own nuclear weapons. France, for all its problems, is a highly advanced modern economy, producing commercially viable civilian aircraft capable of intercontinental flight – something that even super-successful China cannot yet do. Or today’s Russia, which has the technology, and did in the past but currently isn’t building such planes.
The Fifth Republic’s armed forces are also generally regarded as pretty good – at least the best in continental Western Europe. However, this is of little use when it comes to the state of international politics in general. Being part of the community of Western countries devalues all the advantages that would otherwise make France a much more important player than, say, India or Brazil. Not to mention Turkey or Iran, which are inferior to France in every respect but are more independent in their foreign policies.
With the end of the period of ‘Gaullism’ in French defense policy, this question has finally been answered for the whole of NATO Europe. And it is not a problem for the West that empty talk by the French president can’t be taken seriously.
Will such statements be made in the future? Undoubtedly, yes. Even the closest intra-family relationships, where the powerful patriarch stands at the head of the clan, allow for arguments over which of the children will occupy the most comfortable seat at the table. But it would be profoundly wrong to take these disputes, for even a moment, as an indication that any member of the friendly family of global parasites might commit treason against their patron across the ocean. WRITER – Timofey Bordachev, Valdai Club Programme Director – RT
Some Western media are very unprofessional as Chinese defense minister visits Russia : Global Times editorial
This is a dignified and aboveboard visit. However, some Western media outlets seem to have been stepped on the tail, anxious to find some “unconventional signals” in the regular exchanges between China and Russia. Some insist on interpreting it as a trip to “reshape the world order” and “weaken American influence,” and even hype up the possibility of China “providing weapons to Russia”. These claims, if they are not out of malicious political intention, then are very unprofessional jargon. Obsession in hegemony and zero-sum games will only lead them to view normal interactions between other countries through the same “tainted glasses,” seeing everyone like themselves.
Military diplomacy is an important part of a country’s foreign relations and often serves as a barometer for the relationship between major powers. Good relations between two countries are reflected in good relations between their militaries, and good military relations can lead to even better bilateral ties. Chinese defense ministers have the tradition to choose a major power for their first foreign visit after assuming position.
Since the 1990s, both Russia and the US have been the first destinations for China’s defense ministers’ overseas visit. In 2013, 2018, and 2023, China’s defense minister chose Russia as destination for their first visit after assuming position, which have also borne witness to the continuous improvement of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. As the largest neighbors of each other, the two countries’ defense exchanges have significant importance for maintaining mutual security trust and mutual political trust, and normal relations with neighboring countries.
Against the backdrop of the escalating Ukraine crisis, it is understandable that some Europeans are paying close attention to the interaction between China and Russia, and how it may affect the direction of situation. However, some voices are hiding like Trojan horses, waiting for the chance to emerge. They first falsely accused China, trying to turn China, which is not a party to the conflict, into a party responsible. To put it plainly, this is smearing China by the West amid their anxiety. It will find excuses to emerge at any time and any place.
China is not obliged to repeatedly “prove its innocence” on this issue, nor does anyone have the right to force us to do so. China-Russia relationship is no-alliance, no-confrontation and not targeting any third party. We uphold such principle to develop friendly relations with all countries. China has never forced other countries to take sides, or form a clique to attack another in the international arena, naturally we will not reduce or downgrade cooperation with other partners due to external pressure.
The joint statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era between China and Russia, released on March 22, stated that the two sides will regularly organize joint maritime and air patrols, joint military exercise and training, strengthen various exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries under existing bilateral mechanisms, and further deepen military mutual trust. This is in line with the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples, and will also contribute to maintaining regional and world peace and security.
Regarding the Ukraine crisis, China’s position has been very clear from the very beginning, which is that we insist on promoting peace talks instead of fanning the flames. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this impartial position has been appreciated and understood by parties involved and other relevant parties. The international community has also increasingly expected China to play a more constructive role in promoting peace talks. Rather than seizing every opportunity to hype up issues when it comes to China-Russia cooperation, some Western media and politicians would do better to reflect on regional and global security issues and figure out who is the real instigator and major pusher of Russia-Ukraine conflict.
China and Russia have a high level of military trust and close coordination, which is crucial to regional peace and stability. Against the backdrop of worsening global geopolitical tensions, China-Russia relationship, which is steadily moving forward, will facilitate timely exchanges of views and coordination of positions on major issues, making it an essential pillar for maintaining global strategic balance. Consolidating and developing relationship with Russia is not only China’s legitimate right, but also the responsibility of a major country. GT
RT.COM / GLOBAL TIMES
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