Xi and Putin setting new rules in changing Asia: Duowei

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-05-20

Xi Jinping welcomes Vladimir Putin to Shanghai on May 20. (Photo/CNS)

Chinese president Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are working together to set the new rules in a changing Asia and a changing world, says Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.

Putin is set to arrive in Shanghai on Tuesday for an official visit, where he will sign several deals including a landmark gas deal that has been in the works for years. His arrival coincides with the commencement of Joint Sea 2014, a joint military drill between China and Russia that will take place in the northern part of the East China Sea between May 20 and 26.

Putin's China trip comes a month after a visit by US president Barack Obama and 10 days before the commencement of the US-led Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit, otherwise known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore.

Duowei says these developments indicate that China is working on strengthening relations with both Russia and the US at the same time, which provides Beijing with strategic alternatives as the global balance of power continues to shift.

What is clear, according to Duowei, is that the world's economic and political focus is moving towards Asia. China has emerged as the world's second largest economy and Russia is no longer seeking to get closer to the West, while the unpredictability of North Korea remains a major concern. The US may be looking to increase its influence in the region through its Asia "pivot" strategy, but so far it has done little of substance other than boosting its military presence, Duowei said.

Sino-Russian relations are beginning to be described by some analysts and media as a "quasi-alliance" that does not involve the creation of an official military and political alliance. Duowei describes the relationship as a "new form of alliance" that differs from the traditional definition of old but implies a closer strategic relationship where the positions of the two countries on many international issues are identical or at least aligned.

On the eve of his China visit, Putin even said in an interview that "Russia-China cooperation is advancing to a new stage of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction."

"It would not be wrong to say that it has reached the highest level in all its centuries-long history," he added.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi also said during a meeting with United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon ahead of the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia that Asian affairs should be mainly handled by Asian countries, adding that Asian countries are capable of maintaining regional peace and stability.

In a revolutionary era where the global patterns are changing, China and Russia are emerging as two leaders who need to define what the new rules are and provide guidance for the Asia-Pacific as a whole, Duowei said, adding that Xi and Putin's personal philosophies will have major implications on which direction the world moves in over the next decade and beyond.

Related Articles:

Russia signs 30-year deal worth $400bn to deliver gas to China
Putin in China: A win-win situation for Beijing

Xi: Political solution only way to address hotspot issues

Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd R) meets with UN Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon (2nd L) in Shanghai, east China, May 19, 2014. (X