Despite his goal of ‘de-Americanized world’, Xi unlikely to bail out key ally Russia

Special to WorldTribune.com

The impending default — and possible collapse — of the Russian economy has not only caught the Xi Jinping administration by surprise but also cast doubt on Beijing’s two-year-old “Russia first” foreign policy.

China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin. / Sergei Karpukhin / AP — China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. / Sergei Karpukhin / AP

Despite the fact that one of the first diplomatic acts of President Xi was to conclude an “all-weather, all-rounded strategic partnership” with counterpart Vladimir Putin in early 2013, Beijing is in no position to bail out the floundering Russian economy.

An editorial in the Global Times, a party mouthpiece under the People’s Daily, pointed out on Wednesday, Dec. 17, that economic and other kinds of aid “should only be provided upon Moscow’s request, and that [such assistance] should be handled according to normal methods of cooperation among nations.”

“China highly respects Russia and [is committed to] safeguarding Putin’s authority in Russian society,” the paper added. “We should avoid misunderstandings that the Russian side may harbor toward our intentions.”

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Despite his goal of ‘de-Americanized world’, EastAsiaIntel.com, Inside China, Willy Lam, WorldTribune.com, Xi unlikely to bail out key ally Russia

Despite his goal of ‘de-Americanized world’, Xi unlikely to bail out key ally Russia added by World Tribune on December 25, 2014
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