Beijing’s relationship with Moscow is at the forefront of China’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit this weekend.
As Russian strikes continue to rain in Ukraine and Europe calls for further sanctions on the growth of the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be attending an event in China’s Tianjin city along with around 20 other world leaders.
The conference will include representatives of the SCO’s 10 European and Asian member states. This is an organization that styles itself as an alternative to the US-led world order.
It consists of China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The summit has come at a difficult time for several of these countries, with President Donald Trump recently imposing a 50% tariff on India and New Delhi’s decision to continue purchasing primarily Russian oil.
Just like the global trade tensions sparked by the Trump administration’s foreign policy, there are concerns about the potential escalation of war in eastern Europe, more than three years after a full-scale invasion of Russian neighbours.
China’s stance on Russia and Ukraine
After the Russian bombing of central Kiev earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Zi-Kun emphasized the importance of the dialogue.
“Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. We call on all involved parties to respect that the battlefield will not leak,” he said Thursday in Beijing.
However, while saying that Russia’s continued all-out war in Ukraine must end through diplomatic means, China continues to acknowledge Moscow’s important economic and political support.
According to the EU, China maintains Russia’s military industrial base and is the largest provider of double-use and sensitive items found on the battlefield.
The Bloc’s Diplomatic Services (EEAS) previously said, “Without China’s support for Moscow, Russia would not be able to continue the offensive war on Ukraine with the same force.”
Hosuke Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political and Economics (ECIPE), told Euronows that the message about Beijing’s war was simple.
“China is very clear that they want to see the end of the conflict, both officially and informally, but Russia doesn’t want to be isolated either. And if you talk to Ukrainians, they will tell you that China has no concerns.”
Resetting relationships between China and India?
Another important aspect of the summit is the possibility of a reset of China-India relations following Trump’s tariffs on New Delhi.
Lee-Makiyama said “resolution of the (war) is not a priority for Chinese and Indians as much as Europeans,” but said further dangerous military escalations in Eastern Europe could exacerbate global trade tensions in Delhi and Beijing’s eyes.
After the SCO summit, President Putin and some of the other leaders attended a military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan.
The only EU leader expected to be present is Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fiko, joined by Serbian president Alexandervić, one of the potential bloc’s membership countries.
