Jules eight minutes here before the top of the our Chinese president Shi Jinping is re emerging this week alongside Russia's President Vladimir Putin. They will have a meeting on Thursday that will be the first time they sat down together since Russia invaded Ukraine. Joining US Now is Rebecca
shown Wilkins, Bloomberg's Asia Government and Politics correspondent. Well, it's a pretty interesting time, and I think you'd have to say, Rebecca that given the losses that we've seen of late by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, that this could give Si Jumping the upper hand. What does Shi Jinping want from Vladimir Putin? Well, I think the big sort of goal from from this type of trip. On the one hand, it does seem to sort of be this victory lap for sejim Ping ahead of Congress um and a return
to the global stage. But on the other he does seem very keen with projecting his image of an alternative world order, and of course Putin very much and Russia support very much feeds into that idea. And we've seen both comments from Moscow and Beijing sort of apping upping the anti on this type of rhetoric around combating the hedgemony, count acting as a counterweight to NATO for example, and
creating this multipolar context. And of course it's those this this seeds In Ping and and Vladimer Putin meeting will be the centerpiece. I think of this visit is important to to understand as well. This is all happening in Central Asia where Seedimping, you know, almost nine years to the day launched that landmark piece of foreign policy, his
Belt and Road initiative, mean nine years ago. So again we are seeing very much he Jimping coming to lay out not just to this sort of clear tilt towards Russia, but this much more global vision that he has just ahead of that Congress, that issue can mentioned, which is coming up mid next month, and we read that Vladimir Putin could seek to push through an agreement on the power of Siberia too. That's a gas pipeline that would
carry Russian gas to China. What is the current status of that, Yes, indeed, I think that is a big question mark. I mean, Russia exports to China have jumped nearly fifty percent to forty one billion dollars in the first five months of this year. So we have seen ties trade ties, certainly between Moscow and Beijing grow this year.
When it comes to energy in particular, clearly China is leaning on Russia to source more of its coal imports for example about this year, but saying that, you know, China still does primarily rely on on its local minds to to supply its coal, and so there is certainly a very asymmetric relationship here, even as Russia clearly is likely to push for more support from China um and obtain more industrial, more technological imports to help fill the
whole and that void of Western goods because of sanctions. On the other side of the coin, we have seen plenty of calls from Chinese officials and calls in China for Russia to do more to protect civilians in Ukraine. Is there any chance that we would see a strong pushback from Hi Jimping? I mean, what are we hearing about some sort of pushback on the aggressive nature of
Russia in Ukraine? Well on the whole. Although we have seen some of those quite carefully placed comments on you know, repeating, I think mainly comments made in the past for compromise and for peaceful negotiations and more peaceful resolution. UM. I think you know, we from some of China sort of top leaders that's number three official for example, UM, it's top diplomat, we have seen more sort of comments along that promote sort of Russia that and supposedly seemed to
support and back Russia. UM. I will say it is important to note that China itself, in its state media and it's sort of readouts from from diplomatic interactions, hasn't made that many explicit comments on its willingness to assist and specifically is that word assist Ukraine, although Russian readouts have, Yeah, it hasn't because it seems that the larger goal is that the two stand together countering the West absolutely, and I think that is the broader goal here, and and
China itself, of course, will be very carefully treading this line between on the one hand, wanting to support that counterweight to the West account way ultimately to a US lad world order, but on the other steering very are of anything that could risk um invoking sanctions. And if you kind of look at the actions that China took initially at the outset of the war, they were quite careful to sort of severe some some of its links and some of its economic links with Russia. So we
have seen this very delicate balance. Yeah, it is all right, Rebecca. Thanks very much for your insights, Rebecca. John Wilkins, Bloomberg Asia, Government and Politics corresponded