Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping expected to hold sideline talks in Vladivostok
Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok today.
The meeting will be the third between the two leaders this year and Xi’s participation in today’s forum is the first for a Chinese leader, demonstrating a growing relationship due to a short-term convergence of interests.
The talks between the two leaders coincide with Vostok-18, the largest Russian war games held since 1981 which will include approximately 3200 Chinese troops. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the exercise is essential in the current international environment, which is ‘often aggressive and unfriendly’ towards Russian interests.
This comes in light of growing tensions in Beijing and Moscow with the US. Russia seeks to manage NATO’s presence on its western borders—perceived as western aggression—while China is dealing with the South China Sea dispute and an escalating trade war with the US.
Expect the talks and Vostok-18 to build upon the existing relationship between the two powers by discussing strategies for combating shared threats. However, the increasing closeness between the two powers likely will not continue into the long-term. The countries’ trajectories are vastly different and therefore cooperation is unlikely to signify the formation of an alliance.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
