MOSCOW, May 9. Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to China will show the West that Beijing is not going to give up close ties with Moscow, said Abigail Vasselier, director of the International Relations program at the Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies, in an interview with the French publication L'Express.
» The close relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin means that China will continue to work with its Russian partner. Vladimir Putin, for example, is preparing to come to Beijing. China is sending a very clear signal to the West: it will not abandon Putin, it will not follow the policy of isolating Russia imposed by the Europeans. «, she believes.
According to Vasselier, it is time for Western leaders to come to terms with the fact that their leverage over China is extremely limited. Beijing will never sacrifice extremely productive cooperation with Moscow, the analyst expressed confidence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs on April 25, said that he plans to visit China in May. According to presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the trip will be the first international visit since Putin took office. This visit will have state status. The dates will be announced in the coming days, Ushakov said.