Putin praises China’s vision for new world order: “A fairer world”

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the country’s deep alignment with China on Wednesday (18) as he took the stage as guest of honor at a global meeting in Beijing, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping presented his vision. for a new world order.

Earlier, in an unannounced speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum, Putin hailed Xi’s main foreign policy initiative with the “aim of forming a more just and multipolar world”.

Russia and China share an “aspiration for equal and mutually beneficial cooperation”, which includes “respecting the diversity of civilization and the right of each state to its own model of development” – he added, in an apparent pushback against calls for leaders authoritarians to promote the development of human rights and political freedoms at home.

Putin spoke after Xi Jinping, who hosted around 20 world leaders and more than a hundred delegations at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative – an ambitious but controversial venture to increase connectivity and trade in around the world with Chinese infrastructure projects.

Addressing foreign guests in an ornate room in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi praised the initiative to provide an alternative development model for the world, saying it has “established a new framework for international cooperation.”

The meeting took place under the shadow of a war in the Middle East, which threatens to escalate into a wider regional conflict – and served as a clear demonstration of the deepening divisions between world powers.

While leaders and representatives of countries, mainly from the “Global South”, met in the Chinese capital, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, arrived in Israel this Wednesday, in a demonstration of firm support for the North American ally, which promised to eliminate Hamas after the radical Islamic group’s terrorist attack on Israel earlier this month.

VIDEO – UN Council rejects Russian text on war between Israel and Hamas

China and Russia called for a ceasefire in the conflict and refused to explicitly condemn Hamas – clashing with the strong show of support for Israel from the US and leaders across Europe.

At the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

“I am fully aware of the deep grievances of the Palestinian people after 56 years of occupation, but however serious these grievances are, they cannot justify the acts of terror against civilians committed by Hamas on October 7 [que] I immediately condemned it,” he said.

“But these events cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

Xi Jinping did not address the conflict in the speech, but commented on an apparent shift in global power and leadership. “Changes in the world, in our times and with historical significance, are unfolding like never before,” he said.

“China is striving to transform itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization. The modernization we seek is not just for China, but for all developing countries through joint efforts.

In a veiled dig at the United States, the Chinese leader said China opposes unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, decoupling and supply chain disruption.

“Ideological confrontation, geopolitical rivalry and bloc politics are not a choice for us,” he said.

“Seeing the development of others as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk does not improve one’s own life or accelerate one’s own development.”

VIDEO – Egypt suggests transferring civilians from Gaza to the Israeli desert

Other world leaders in attendance, including Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also spoke, echoing Xi’s call for greater global development and a more cooperative, multilateral world.

Xi Jinping and Putin held talks after the event. Calling Putin “my old friend,” the Chinese leader praised the deepening political trust between the two nations and “close and effective strategic coordination,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The visit to Beijing is an exceptionally rare foreign trip for Putin, who is wanted by the West and the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

His meeting with Xi comes as Russia continues to launch destructive attacks in Ukraine, where two people were killed on Wednesday following a Russian missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, according to Ukrainian officials.

A new world order

Xi Jinping, the most powerful and assertive Chinese leader in decades, has intensified efforts to project China as an alternative leader to the US – with a vision for how global security and development should be ensured.

Welcoming leaders to Beijing – China’s first major international event since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic – is a key part of the effort to present that vision to the nations with which it has forged close ties over the past decade, as Xi aims to expand global influence position.

World leaders, representatives and delegations from more than 140 countries – including the Middle East and the Taliban – attend the meeting that marks a decade since the launch of Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.

But it also comes at a time when China faces major challenges at home, with a slowing economy, high unemployment and a series of recent inexplicable shakeups in the upper echelons of the Communist Party.

Beijing intends to gloss over these challenges at the meeting to project its power and praise contributions to global development as an excellent example of leadership.

This flagship foreign policy pooled hundreds of billions in Chinese finances to build ports, power plants, bridges, railways and roads around the world – significantly expanding China’s international interests and influence along the way.

More than 150 countries cooperated in the program, which Beijing claims has mobilized “up to a trillion dollars in investment”, stimulating growth in emerging countries.

But it faces increasing obstacles as China’s economic growth engine weakens, amid a changing global financial landscape and questions about high costs for countries – from debt to environmental impact.

Now, China’s infrastructure building spree has made it the world’s biggest debt collector, analysts say.
In Wednesday’s speech, Xi rejected the criticism and reiterated his commitment to the initiative.

“What has been achieved in the last ten years demonstrates that Belt and Road cooperation is on the right side of history. It represents the advancement of our times and is the right path forward,” he said.

Xi also proposed an eight-part action plan on the Belt and Road initiative, including fully removing restrictions on foreign investment in Chinese industry and the initiative on global artificial intelligence governance.

Source: CNN Brasil

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