War criminal Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing today to meet with his autocratic counterpart Xi Jinping looking for a closer alliance between Russia and China as his forces continue their brutal and illegal war in Ukraine. Xi signaled that he's on the side of the Russian war criminals, and ready to put more distance between China and the U.S. From Reuters:
"'The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it,' Xi told Putin.
'China is willing to ... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries, and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world.' [snip]
Putin, on his first overseas trip since being inaugurated this month for a new presidential term, described Moscow and Beijing's co-operation in world affairs as one of the main stabilising factors in the international arena.
"Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law,' Putin told Xi." (our emphasis)
It's hard to imagine a more dishonest and cynical statement than that last quote from Putin, who's attempting by force to bring a neighboring country under Russia's imperial sway, violating international law and trampling the democracy of Ukraine. Xi is supporting Putin's charade largely for Russia's discounted oil and gas, and to sell more Chinese goods to Russia. It also encourages Russia's support for an eventual attack on Taiwan.
As a sign of "the more things change, the more things remain the same," Putin and Xi will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union recognizing the People's Republic of China. Two cold warriors paying lip service to "democracy" and "justice," which neither of their nations practice domestically or abroad.
