Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin ended their Moscow summit this week by showcasing economic help and diplomatic support China will provide the now supplicant banana-less republic that is Putin’s Russia today.
But even more importantly, the two autocratic presidents were careful not to spotlight this year’s most important reality: Apparently, their famous “no limits” partnership they boldly declared in 2022, just three weeks before Putin invaded Ukraine, has limits, after all. And this week, we discovered those limits — in what was left out of this year’s summit declaration.
So it was that the sweeping nine-point joint statement Xi and Putin issued contained extensive pronouncements on all manner of issues. The greatest economic assistance agreement helps both countries. China will buy significant quantities of Russia’s oil and natural gas, making up for the European energy market Russia lost after it invaded Ukraine. The joint statement also dealt with grand global issues such as the climate change crisis, and even narrower regional specifics including Taiwan and Mongolia.
