Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday touted close ties with Russia on the second day of his state visit to Moscow, inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a return visit later this year.
“It fits the historical logic that Chinese leaders take Russia as a primary choice for their overseas visits,” Xi said, adding that China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner, Xinhua news agency reported.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a major topic for the leaders in more than four hours of talks on Monday, according to both sides, with Putin saying before the meeting that he was ready to discuss China’s initiative for ending the war.
Photo: AP
Putin welcomed Xi to the Kremlin yesterday afternoon for more discussions. Russian state television showed the two men walking the long red carpets of the Kremlin to shake hands before joining their delegations.
The US and its allies have rejected China’s proposals as biased toward Russia, and Ukraine has been cool, as well. After his Russia visit, Xi was expected to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since the Russian invasion in February last year.
Xi’s three-day visit, his first trip abroad since claiming a third term earlier this month, sends a strong signal of support for Putin amid efforts by the US and its allies to isolate the Russian president over his invasion. Russia has become increasingly dependent on China for trade with other markets cut off, but there were few indications that this visit would bring new deals.
Putin and Xi “had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
“Most countries support easing tensions,” it said, without elaborating.
China would continue to strengthen strategic coordination with Russia, Xi also said, according to the statement.
Xi yesterday morning met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who called for deepening economic ties and received his own invitation to visit China.
Later yesterday, the two sides were expected to sign several declarations, and Xi and Putin were to make statements to the media before a state dinner in the Palace of Facets.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby dismissed the visit as “a marriage of convenience.”
“President Xi finds himself in this weird position — wanting the war to end, but not wanting Russia to lose,” he said on MSNBC.
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
RSS