Xi's trip to Moscow on Monday will be closely watched for signs of a China-Russia military pact -- China Boss Update 3.17.23
Update -- *Please note Monday's newsletter will be posted on Tuesday, March 21st.
What happened.
“Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday, in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid sharpening East-West tensions over the conflict in Ukraine,” AP News (in NPR) reported earlier today.
AP News:
Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a daily briefing on Friday that Xi "will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern, promote strategic cooperation and practical cooperation between the two countries, and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations."
"Currently, the world is entering a new period of turbulences and reform with the accelerated evolution of changes of the century. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and important major countries, the significance and impact of the China-Russia relations go far beyond the bilateral sphere," he added.
AP news staff also said that Russia, in its announcement, promised the signing of "important bilateral documents."
Why it matters.
The war in Ukraine - and China’s relations with the West - could take a dark turn
China watchers are on the edge of their seats, waiting to see the outcome of Xi’s meeting with Putin. As I mentioned earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin is running out of ammunition in his war against Ukraine, and professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, at the Yale School of Management, thinks the Russian economy is on the verge of collapse. Now reports are coming in that, both, Turkey and Hungary, two
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