January 20 has witnessed several geopolitical events around the world. In the American subcontinent, Trump officially took charge of the White House and signed bold executive orders in line with ‘Make America Great Again’. On the other hand, leaders from two great powers in Eurasia, China and Russia hold a video conference meeting just after Trump’s Inauguration ceremony. Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi held a video conference just a few hours after Trump’s Inaugural speech that can be interpreted as a symbolic message to Washington.
The video call not only looks symbolic but also has diplomatic depth. Both countries pledged to bring bilateral ties to ‘greater heights’. Putin referred to Xi as a ‘Dear friend’ and said Russia and China were building ties “on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and support” despite external pressure.
Notably, Trump on Tuesday not only threatened tariffs on Beijing, calling it “an abuser”, but also warned Russia to face “big trouble” if it does not strike a deal to end war in Ukraine. This statement must have forced these two friendly leaders to talk in order to comprehend a viable plan against Trump’s warning.
After the video conference meeting, foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov spoke to the media and informed that Putin told Xi that any Ukraine settlement “must respect Russian interests”, which means Russia is adamant over the NATO expansion and not going to take any dictate from the West. If the war is going on the negotiation table with the return of Trump to the White House.
Ushakov also added, “Putin and Xi confirmed readiness to build relations with the US on a mutually beneficial and respectful basis if the Trump team shows an interest.” It means both sides are ready to sit at the negotiating table and bring a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis but at the same time, they are firm enough to retaliate if the US attempts to hamper their interests.
The call lasted about one-and-a-half hours, during which Putin and Xi also discussed the situations in the Middle East, South Korea and Taiwan, according to Ushakov.
In a statement following the call, neither party acknowledged the new president of the United States. Despite global attention on Trump’s return to office and recent executive orders, Beijing and Moscow remain aligned regardless of Washington’s actions.
Russia made sure nobody missed the point. In a rare move, Moscow posted a video of the conference on its website, where Putin and Xi could be seen exchanging pleasantries, calling each other “dear friends,” and delivering brief statements about the improving diplomatic ties between the two nations. The call lasted more than 90 minutes.
According to the Chinese reports, Xi said on the call, “Both sides should continue to deepen strategic coordination, firmly support one another, and safeguard both countries’ legitimate interests.” Putin said there was an “alignment of views on how relations between great powers should be.”
Previously, they have also worked together in a bid to steer away from the U.S. dollar’s economic stranglehold as the world’s reserve currency. Almost all transactions between China and Russia are now conducted in their own currencies of Ruble and Yuan.
The geopolitical rivalry among the three world powers namely the US, China and Russia is expected to intensify in the coming years. All three countries have their own interests in mind and now with the ascent of Trump will add another dimension to the global diplomatic tussles already in play.
