China’s Xi set to meet Putin in bid to weaken US position in ‘very important’ rally

Communist Party of China General Secretary Xi Jinping is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, just days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted the Russian strongman for war crimes.

Xi’s visit is the latest sign of Beijing’s emboldened diplomatic ambitions, and it comes as East-West tensions escalate over the war in Ukraine, which is now in its 13th month. Xi recently scored a diplomatic victory, according to an intelligence official, by bypassing the United States and brokering a rapprochement between the Iranian regime and Saudi Arabia.

Rebekah Koffler, a former US Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, told Fox News Digital that Xi’s meeting with Putin is “very important” because “Xi has a strong incentive to prolong Putin’s war against Ukraine because the China only benefits as its two main strategic adversaries deplete their combat arsenals in Ukraine in a proxy war.”

Koffler added, “That’s why Xi will probably approve lethal aid to Russia. But they’re probably discussing how to channel that aid through third parties, so China can circumvent US sanctions policy.”

CHINA DENY HIDDEN REASON AFTER BROKERAGE TALKS BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND IRAN

Asked about the Xi-Putin meeting and a potential phone call from Xi with President Joe Biden, National Security Council Director of Strategic Communications John Kirby told Fox News on Sunday that the “president wants to keep the lines of open communication with China, and you have I heard him say himself in the last few days that he wanted to create another chance to talk to President Xi, and I suspect that will happen; it will happen in due time when it is the appropriate time to do so. He continued, “It’s especially important when tensions are so high between our two countries that these two leaders keep that line of communication open, and the president is committed to doing so.”

Kirby added: “There’s no doubt that China and Russia, and this comes right into the national security strategy, are two countries that chafe at this rules-based international order that the United States and so many of our allies and partners have been building since the end of World War 2. They don’t like it, they’d love to rewrite the rules of the game globally, and they’ve certainly increased their cooperation and relationships lately.

Fox News Digital has sent a press query to the US State Department over criticism that Washington is failing to enforce sanctions on China and its alleged reluctance to confront Beijing’s aggressive foreign policy aimed at countering the interests Americans, but no response was received before press time.

JOHN BOLTON WARNS US TO ‘ALWAYS SIT DOWN’ AS CHINA AND RUSSIA ‘STRENGTHENER RELATIONSHIPS’

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, right, shakes hands with Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban, left, as Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, looks on at Beijing on March 11, 2023. (Luo Xiaoguang/Xinhua via AP)

Gordon Chang, senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, told Fox News Digital that Xi was looking to build more on his diplomatic success with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.

Beijing and Moscow have intensified their ties in steps that began shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a meeting between the two leaders in Beijing during the Winter Olympics last year, where they declared a “limitless” partnership.

China has sought to project itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, even as it has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression. Beijing has denounced Western sanctions against Moscow and accused NATO and the United States of provoking Putin’s military action.

Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov noted that Putin and Xi had “very special personal, friendly and confident moments” and hailed Beijing’s peace plan.

“We highly appreciate the moderate and balanced stance of the Chinese leadership on this issue,” Ushakov said.

Last month, China called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture seems to go no further.

Yurii Poita, head of the Asia section of the Kyiv-based New Geopolitics Research Network, believes the Ukrainian government accepts China’s involvement because it is reluctant to make another powerful enemy.

BIDEN WARNED AS RUSSIA, CHINA FLEX MUSCLE IN MIDDLE EAST: ‘ALLIES MATTER’

A Ukrainian tank fires at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Ukraine on March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Evgeny Maloletka)

“Don’t upset the dragon when you fight a bear,” Poita told The Associated Press.

Observers say that despite China’s position as a mediator to settle the war between Ukraine and Russia, its refusal to condemn the Russian action leaves no doubt about Beijing’s sympathy.

All of this helps explain why harsh China critics like Chang don’t see China as an honest power broker.

Chang, the author of “The Coming Collapse of China”, noted that “Russia might not be in this war without China’s support. China is effectively funding the war with high purchases of raw materials. China opened its financial system to Russian-sanctioned institutions China provided location data to Russia [forces] to eliminate Ukrainian drones. China sells ammunition to the Russians.”

It was reported last week that Chinese companies had sent assault rifles, drone parts and body armor to Russia.

ACTIVISTS PUSH FOR INVESTIGATION INTO CLAIMS CHINA FORCES ABOUT ORGANS FROM UIGUR POPULATION

“The Biden administration wants [China’s] help on climate change and don’t call China and apply sanctions on Chinese people. The Biden administration is afraid to confront the Chinese. China sees the green light to support its “limitless” partner Russia,” Chang said.

Chang continued, “It is China’s full support for the genocide” regarding Monday’s meeting. China’s human rights record has come under intense criticism over the years due to its violent crackdown on Uyghurs and Tibetans.

The Chinese expert went on to say that Putin and Xi must have been aware of the ICC arrest warrant issued to Putin and Xi continued and “announced the visit just before the international arrest warrant.” This meeting is a signal that China supports Russia. through thick and thin.”

President Joe Biden, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, November 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Koffler, who is a Putin expert, didn’t mince words: “Biden’s policies have effectively created a monster – Russia, China, Iran, Syria, North Korea – and all of them are looking to transform the world and reorganize the balance of power”. . And Putin and Xi are leading this transformation.” She added that Biden “single-handedly degrades the future strategic position of the United States in the world.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.