This week, Chinese President Xi is in Russia and is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Xinhua, President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met 40 times, with this being Xi’s 9^th visit to Russia. CCP-run media is using this visit to claim that Chinese-Russian ties are benevolent, that the West is incorrect and manipulative to portray such ties otherwise, and that Chinese diplomacy is needed and prudent in in Ukraine.

CCP Claims that China-Russia Ties are Benevolent

President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia is “a trip of friendship, cooperation and peace” that is “expected to further promote China-Russia cooperation and contribute to global peace and development,” according to Global Times. China-Russia relations are “good neighborly and friendly,” according to China Daily.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, as cited by Xinhua, China and Russia’s relationship is based on “non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party,” and that together they will “practice true multilateralism, promote a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations, improve global governance, and contribute to world development and progress.” An article in Xinhua quoted a Russian expert as stating that China-Russia relations “are efficient, responsible, and future oriented,” and “have played a stabilizing role in international affairs.”

The CCP media also seeks to counter any Western concerns of Chinese-Russian belligerence. Wang, according to China Daily, claimed that recent Western allegations that China is providing Russia with military support is false, as the cooperation between the two countries “is completely above board and serves the purpose of delivering benefits to both peoples and promoting global growth.” Recent joint naval drills between China, Russia and Iran off the Gulf of Oman are similarly “bringing in positive energy to regional peace and stability,” and are “not aimed at any third party,” according to Global Times. The West’s concerns with President Xi’s visit to Russia amounts to “hullabaloo,” according to China Daily.

CCP Asserts that the West Is Maliciously Undermining China-Russia Ties

CCP media asserts that the West seeks to undermine China-Russia ties out of malice. According to Global Times, “the US and some Western countries have beefed up efforts to smear and demonize China-Russia relations and by spreading lies about China’s ‘support’ for Russia in the conflict with Ukraine, the US and its allies want to trap Russia and China.” According to China Daily, “those trying to distort the visit and reading too much into [the] Sino-Russian entente are only exposing their true colors as conspiracy theorists and hegemonists.”

According to that same article, the United States is “the main instigator and beneficiary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” and “uses the deaths and destruction in Ukraine to launch a smear campaign against China and coerce its allies into supporting it in its efforts to weaken Russia.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, according to another China Daily article, argued that in response to improved China-Russia relations, “certain countries” [presumably including the United States] have been “holding on to a Cold War mentality, ganging up with other countries, forming small cliques and stirring up bloc confrontations, and engaging in hegemonic, domineering and bullying practices.”

CCP Uses Xi’s Visit to Russia to Showcase Diplomacy in Ukraine

CCP media portrays Xi’s visit to Russia as a means to broker Russia-Ukraine peace. According to China Daily, “[t]he visit can help Ukraine and Russia keep alive the hope of dialogue and keep the door open to a political settlement, because China refuses to take sides in the conflict, and remains committed to helping restore peace, while calling on the international community to create enabling conditions for peace talks.” According to Wang, “Xi’s visit to Russia is also about peace,” as cited by Global Times. “On the Ukraine issue, China always stands on the side of peace and dialogue and stands on the right side of history,” states Wang as quoted in that article.

According to Global Times, China has exerted “continuous efforts to play a constructive role and ease the Ukraine crisis…” and “is one of the few major powers that can build a bridge of communications between Russia and Ukraine.” According to Wang, as cited by China Daily, “China will uphold an objective and fair position and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.”

China is using its state-run media to craft a narrative stating that China-Russia relations are benevolent, that the US is trying to falsely malign such relations, and that Chinese diplomacy in Ukraine is the best way forward in resolving the war in Ukraine. By capitalizing on Xi’s trip to Russia, China hopes to score yet another diplomatic win in its continued attempts to charm the world.