Tag: Moscow (Russia)

Who Are Russia’s Friends Amid the War in Ukraine?

Chin@Strategy

The state visit by China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to Russia highlights the close ties between the nations, a relationship that is increasingly crucial for Moscow as it is cut off from most of the West. China is a critical trading partner for Russia, buying up much of its oil exports while selling large volumes of products used by Russian civilians and the military. It is one of a number of countries that have maintained good terms with Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine — some providing diplomatic or economic support,…

Xi Heads to Russia, Praising Putin and Saying Little About Ukraine

Chin@Strategy

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is set to arrive in Moscow on Monday for a summit with President Vladimir V. Putin that will test how far Mr. Xi is willing to go to act as a potential peace broker in the war in Ukraine. The Chinese government has cast Mr. Xi’s three-day state visit to Russia as a “trip for peace,” seeking to burnish his image as a global statesman after Beijing hosted talks this month that led to a significant agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But even Chinese state…

Xi, Cast as Peacemaker, Wades Into Russia’s War in Ukraine

Chin@Strategy

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has cast himself as a global statesman, helping Saudi Arabia and Iran broker a deal to restore diplomatic ties while extolling the virtues of “Chinese solutions and wisdom” in solving the world’s biggest security challenges. Now, Mr. Xi is putting himself at the center of Russia’s war with Ukraine, working to portray himself as a mediator who could cool down the protracted fight. The Chinese leader is expected to meet in person next week with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and a call with…

Xi and Putin Meet Again, Two Strongmen in a Weak Moment

Chin@Strategy

When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia declared a “no limits” partnership 10 months ago, the pair projected an aura of strength in a direct challenge to the United States and the West. As the two leaders met again on Friday via video, they found themselves in positions of weakness, encumbered by geopolitical and economic threats to their informal authoritarian alliance. Both now have little room to maneuver, making the relationship all the more important, albeit also a lot more complicated. Since Russia’s invasion…

At G20 Summit, Xi and Biden Offer Rival Visions for Solving Global Issues

Chin@Strategy

BALI, Indonesia — While President Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have eased tensions between their countries, they are vying for influence in Asia and beyond, offering competing stances on how to address poverty and the war in Ukraine. Mr. Xi has cast China as a steadfast partner to the region, rejecting what he described as the United States’ “Cold War mentality” of forming security alliances. At the Group of 20 summit on Tuesday, he spoke loftily about China’s “global initiatives” to fight poverty and strife, while remaining publicly…

Chinese Hackers Tried to Steal Russian Defense Data, Report Says

Chin@Strategy

Under China’s authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, Beijing has refined its approach to cyberspying, transforming over the past decade into a far more sophisticated actor. China’s premier spy agency, borrowing a page from Russia, has recruited beyond its ranks, pulling from the country’s growing pool of tech workers. The strategy has made its attacks more scattershot and unpredictable, but analysts say it has also helped strengthen the country’s efforts, enabling spies to run stealthy attacks that target intellectual property as well as political and military intelligence around the world. Mr. Xi…

Your Thursday Briefing: Russia Cuts Gas Supplies

Chin@Strategy

Good morning. A gas crisis looms over Europe, anger grows in Shanghai and Singapore executes an intellectually disabled man. Russia cuts gas supplies to Europe In its toughest response yet to European sanctions, Russia halted natural gas shipments to Bulgaria and Poland. The E.U.’s top official denounced the move as “blackmail,” but European officials said they were prepared to weather the near-term impact: Poland’s gas storage facilities are 75 percent full, and it has been working for years to avoid being held to ransom by Moscow over energy. Germany also…

It will neither rattle Putin nor change our obligations in the war.

Chin@Strategy

Just over a week ago, Joe Biden acted like Joe Biden and called the Russian campaign in Ukraine a “genocide” — leaping ahead of our major allies, our State Department and the available facts. The comment prompted head-shaking from people nervous about American escalation and praise from people seeking it (notably, the president of Ukraine). I am generally on the side of the nervous people: In a conflict with a nuclear power there is always an interest in reducing the existential stakes, and accusations of genocide should be made only…

India Says It’s in Talks With Russia About Increasing Oil Imports

Chin@Strategy

India is in talks with Moscow about increasing oil imports from Russia in an effort to keep spiraling prices in check, India’s petroleum minister told Parliament this week. The move comes as New Delhi is also striving to preserve its relationship with Moscow, its biggest supplier of weapons, at a time when India faces an aggressive China on its borders. “I myself have had a conversation with the appropriate levels of the Russian federation,” Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s minister of gas and petroleum, told lawmakers on Monday. He said the…

China Becomes a Paralympic Sled Hockey Power Behind Russian Coach

Chin@Strategy

BEIJING — All the Russian athletes were kicked out of the Paralympics before the Games began last week, but there is still a Russian here, and he has a chance to win a medal. Nikolay Sharshukov, the little-known Russian coach of China’s national para ice hockey team, has transformed the fledgling squad into a contender in less than five years on the job, molding it in the image of the old Soviet hockey powerhouses. Players like Shen Yifeng, the leading scorer in the tournament, crisscross in front of teammates as…