Chinese President Xi praises ‘good friend’ Putin in New Year’s speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping ended 2023 with a message of solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his country.

The two leaders have long had a friendly relationship, and the relationship between the “good friends” has deteriorated over the past year as Western countries intensify against President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began about two years ago. We have become “stronger,” Xi said on Sunday. Before the invasion on February 24, 2022.

Mr. Xi is viewed fairly favorably by the Russian public, with 71% approval, according to a recent Gallup poll. But as President Putin’s war drags on with no end in sight, questions remain at home about how long the conflict will last and whether it is politically sustainable.

According to the independent Moscow Times newspaper, President Xi said on Sunday: “Despite the changes for the first time in 100 years and the turbulent regional and international situation, China-Russia relations will maintain healthy and stable development and move steadily in the right direction.” It’s progressing,” he said. Online newspaper in English and Russian.

Xi further said, “Under joint leadership, the political mutual trust between the two sides has further deepened, strategic cooperation has become closer, and mutually beneficial cooperation continues to achieve new results.”

Moscow lost an estimated 360,010 troops in 2023, according to the latest report from the Ukrainian military. More than half of Russians want the war to be resolved in 2024, according to a poll released last Friday by the polling organization Russian Field. Meanwhile, President Putin, 71, is seeking a fifth presidential term this year.

Russia’s predicament deepened on Saturday after St. Petersburg abruptly canceled a New Year’s Eve-themed concert following a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, killing at least 24 people, including three children. It got even worse. 110 people were injured. The Russian government accused Ukraine of possible retaliation following a deadly attack by Russian drones and missiles on the city of Kharkiv, about 60 miles away, the day before.

With presidential elections scheduled for March 17, there are rumors that Putin may be suffering from cancer, Parkinson’s disease, or even dementia. In October, the Kremlin was forced to dismiss reports that the president had suffered a cardiac arrest.

As President Putin and President Xi Jinping continue to build good relations amid global instability, the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza pose nuclear threats.

The tense geopolitical situation and the Xi-Putin alliance could also be significantly affected by the US presidential election, which is expected to lead to a rematch between President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. While polls conducted weeks before the first primary show the latter well ahead of his Republican rivals, Biden has no serious challenger for the Democratic nomination.

Julie Norman, a professor of American politics at University College London, previously said: “Donald Trump’s chances of being re-elected will have repercussions around the world.” newsweek. “The United States could see challenges to elections and electoral systems, especially if Trump wins the Electoral College again but not the popular vote, worsening polarization to new extremes. There is a high possibility that it will.”

“There are also concerns that President Trump’s second term will further undermine democratic norms and institutions than his first term, which could harm the United States domestically, the United States’ image abroad, and democracies around the world.” “It will have a long-term impact on the future.” ”