Putin Gets Chinese Plaudits for Calling Pelosi Trip ‘Planned Provocation’

 

Putin Gets Chinese Plaudits for

Calling Pelosi Trip ‘Planned Provocation’

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, February 4, 2022.

A senior Chinese Communist Party official publicly praised Vladimir Putin after the Russian leader criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent Taiwan visit as “a carefully planned provocation.” Beijing’s show of support for Putin follows the recent announcement of joint Sino-Russian military exercises on Russian territory.

Putin made his first public remarks on the heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait during a global-security conference in Moscow earlier this week.

“The American adventure in Taiwan wasn’t just a trip by an irresponsible politician. It was part of a deliberate and conscious U.S. strategy intended to destabilize the situation and create chaos in the region and the entire world, a blatant demonstration of disrespect for another country’s sovereignty and its own international obligations,” Putin said on Tuesday.

He tied Washington’s alleged provocations in the Indo-Pacific to U.S. support of Ukraine, saying earlier in the speech: “They need conflicts to retain their hegemony.” He also slammed the AUKUS pact between the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. as an example of “aggressive military-political alliances” being formed.

He tied Washington’s alleged provocations in the Indo-Pacific to U.S. support of Ukraine, saying earlier in the speech: “They need conflicts to retain their hegemony.” He also slammed the AUKUS pact between the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. as an example of “aggressive military-political alliances” being formed.

While Pelosi was not the first U.S. House Speaker to visit Taiwan, Beijing seized on the high-profile visit to assert that it is a provocation and an assault on the status quo. The People’s Liberation Army soon after began a series of unusually brazen military exercises, and Beijing imposed sanctions on a number of Taiwanese officials.

A prominent Chinese ambassador, Liu Xiaoming, was quick to publicly praise Putin’s comments on Twitter yesterday, saying that China “highly appreciates” the support.

“The remarks by President Putin demonstrates the high-level strategic coordination between China and Russia, and the firm support the two countries have rendered each other on issues concerning their core interests,” wrote Liu, a senior diplomat who currently serves as Beijing’s envoy on Korean Peninsular Affairs.

#China highly appreciates the remarks by President #Putin. Since #Pelosi visited #Taiwan, more than 170 countries have spoken up for justice. They reiterated their #one-China commitment and support for #China’s efforts to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

— 刘晓明Liu Xiaoming (@AmbLiuXiaoMing) August 18, 2022

Putin and General Secretary Xi Jinping inked a “no-limits” partnership ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, and since then, the two countries have repeatedly stressed their strategic alignment.

In June, Beijing and Moscow unveiled a new bridge connecting Russia’s Blagoveschchensk with China’s Heihe, a construction project the Russian government expects will dramatically boost bilateral trade, per Reuters.

During a phone call between Putin and Xi five days later, Xi said that “China is willing to work with Russia to continue supporting each other on their respective core interests concerning sovereignty and security, as well as on their major concerns, deepening their strategic coordination, and strengthening communication and coordination in such important international and regional organizations as the United Nations, the BRICS mechanism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” per a Chinese summary.

Although U.S. officials say that China has declined, so far, to provide military assistance to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, China has openly taken Russia’s side on its brutal invasion of Ukraine, with officials and propaganda outlets claiming that NATO provoked the attack.

During the State Department press briefing yesterday, Foggy Bottom warned about this partnership, which spokesman Ned Price called a “burgeoning relationship.”

“That is of concern because of the vision that the PRC, countries like that PRC, countries like Russia, have for the international order,” said Price. He added, “We’ve been very clear in our engagements with the PRC regarding the consequences” of providing military assistance to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

A number of former U.S. officials have also expressed alarm, noting the increased coordination between China and Russia.

Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in June warned of a new “axis” of “fanatical dictators” between Russia, China, and Iran. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo said, in a speech the same month at the Hudson Institute, “We must prevent the formation of a pan-Eurasian colossus, incorporating Russia but led by China.”

On Wednesday, the Chinese defense ministry announced its participation in joint military drills with Russia, alongside India, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. The exercises, which begin August 30, are expected to take place in Russia’s Eastern military district, bordering, in part, China.