China’s President Xi will deliver a ‘peace speech’ on anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Italian foreign minister reveals in fresh hint of divisions between Beijing and Moscow
- Antonio Tajani told Italian press China’s top diplomat revealed Xi’s plan to speak
- The Chinese president is expected to call for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine
- China and Russia are allied amid Western condemnation but relationship is rocky
China’s President Xi Jinping will deliver a ‘peace speech’ on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Italy’s foreign minister said on Friday, citing top diplomat Wang Yi.
Wang Yi ‘told me that Xi will deliver a peace speech on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine’ on Feb. 24, 2022, Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian radio RAI, the day after he met the top Chinese diplomat in Rome.
Tajani said that in the meeting with Wang Yi, he called for China to use all its powers to persuade Russia to sit at the peace table to ensure Ukraine’s independence and bring the war to an end.
China and Russia have aligned themselves against the West in recent months amid Beijing’s declining relations with the United States over Taiwan, tech sanctions and the spy balloon controversy – not to mention Moscow’s assault on Ukraine which has been roundly condemned by Europe and the U.S.
But while Russian President Vladimir Putin has been full of praise for his Chinese counterpart and invited him to visit the Kremlin, Xi has never openly supported Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their meeting in Beijing, on February 4, 2022
Chinese officials last month even suggested that Xi’s government is expecting the Russian invasion to fail and that the deadly conflict will see Moscow emerge as a ‘minor power’ with a diminished economy and a poor standing on the world stage.
‘Putin is crazy,’ one Chinese official told the Financial Times. ‘The invasion decision was made by a very small group of people. China shouldn’t simply follow Russia.’
Though Xi is loath to undermine his relationship with Putin in public, in November he issued a direct warning to the Russian President not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine in his biggest public rebuke yet delivered to the Kremlin.
But for now, China and Russia remain allies, even if their relationship is one of necessity underpinned by the two countries sharing common foes.
Xi and Putin in December pledged to strengthen their relationship amid what they called ‘geopolitical tensions’ and a ‘difficult international situation’.
‘In the face of increasing geopolitical tensions, the significance of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership is growing as a stabilising factor,’ Putin said at the time.
‘I have no doubt that we will find an opportunity to meet in person. We are waiting for you, dear chairman, dear friend, next spring with a state visit to Moscow,’ Putin told Xi.
Xi (L) and Putin (R) in December pledged to strengthen their relationship amid what they called ‘geopolitical tensions’ and a ‘difficult international situation’
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, seen onscreen, via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022
China is the world’s largest consumer of energy and Russia is among its top suppliers of both oil and natural gas.
The two nations are also military allies, and will today begin a series of naval drills alongside South Africa in the Indian Ocean.
The 10 days of exercises, named Mosi II, will coincide with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
A Russian frigate, the Admiral Gorshkov, arrived in Cape Town earlier this week sporting the letters Z and V on its sides, letters that mark Russian weapons on the front lines in Ukraine and are used as a patriotic symbol in Russia.
The arrival of the Admiral Gorshkov stirred considerable controversy because it is armed with the latest Zircon hypersonic missiles, a weapon that Russia says can penetrate any missile defenses to strike targets at sea and on land.
The warship is set to test-fire a Zircon missile during the joint naval drills, according to Russian state news agency TASS. The test will be the first launch of the missile in an international exercise.
In addition to the Admiral Gorshkov, other ships participating in the maritime exercises will include a Russian oil tanker for refueling, a South African frigate and three Chinese ships – a destroyer, a frigate and a support vessel, according to a South African military statement.
People on a yacht, right, protest against the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov docked in the Cape Town harbour South Africa, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 en route to the South African east coast to conduct naval exercises with the South African and Chinese Navy
Launch of an ‘unstoppable’ Zircon nuclear-capable hypersonic missile from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate
Italian foreign minister Tajani’s comments regarding Xi’s intention to deliver a peace speech on the anniversary of Russia’s war with Ukraine came as the diplomat was quizzed about Italy’s partnership in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Italy in 2019 became the first major industrialised nation to sign up for the initiative – a colossal project designed to improve Beijing’s trade reach.
Little has so far come of the pact, signed during a state visit to Italy by Xi Jinping.
Tajani said Rome was assessing the issue of Italy’s partnership with China and would decide what to do ‘at the appropriate time’.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said last year, before she was elected, that she did not want ‘to favour Chinese expansion into Italy or Europe’, and she would not look to pursue the project.
In December, the European Commission unveiled a plan called Global Gateway to invest 300 billion euros ($319 billion) globally by 2027 in infrastructure, digital and climate projects as a better alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
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