Beijing gives cautious welcome to Vladimir Putin’s hint over Russia-China military alliance
- The Russian President has said the idea of a formal pact between Moscow and Beijing is ‘certainly imaginable’ although the prospect appears remote at present
- Comments may have been intended as a sign of goodwill as relations between China and US continue to deteriorate
Beijing has cautiously welcomed Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that a military alliance between Russia and China is possible – the first time a Russian leader has made such a suggestion since the pact between Stalin and Mao Zedong collapsed.
On Friday he was asked about the possibility of such an alliance during a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian international affairs forum, and replied: “We have always believed that our relations have reached such a level of cooperation and trust that it is not necessary, but it is certainly imaginable, in theory.”
He continued that the two countries’ militaries already work closely together and “time will tell how it will progress from here. So far, we have not set that goal for ourselves. But, in principle, we are not going to rule it out, either. So, we will see”.
But some Chinese observers noted that while the idea was highly unlikely, even talking about it could be seen as a sign of goodwill.
Among other thinly veiled criticisms of Washington, Xi said the country’s military was determined to defeat invaders and warned against any attempt to divide the nation.
