China-Russia relations

President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, following on the heels of China’s role in brokering a Saudi-Iran deal, speaks of China’s new-found confidence as a diplomatic rainmaker.

Much attention is on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, with speculation on whether China will drop its neutral stance on the Ukraine war, or stick to strengthening the fundamentals of their bilateral relationship. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan gives his analysis.

Former journalist Goh Choon Kang notes that while Singapore’s stand against the Russian invasion of Ukraine is clear, the conditions that led to the current situation are complicated, beginning with Ukraine's internal politics that weakened it considerably for others to take advantage of.

Swedish academic Stefan Hedlund points out that China is weighing its options very carefully as to how much it should intervene to ensure a stalemate or renewed freezing of conflict in the Ukraine war. From China's point of view, while there are certain gains to Russia being further weakened, Russia's total fall would also spell trouble for China.

Chinese academic Zhang Tiankan believes that while Russia looks and acts tough like a major power, it is in fact not as powerful as it thinks, or wants others to think. It has a long way to go before having the same influence as other world powers.

Russia’s failure in winning its war in Ukraine has been largely due to its weak soft power as well as the poor performance of its weaponry, which had initially given the country false confidence in its ability to gain a quick victory. Chinese academic Deng Qingbo tells us what China can learn from Russia’s mistakes in this respect.

Despite China’s proposal for peace talks amid the Russia-Ukraine war, the US continues to be wary of China's intentions. Nonetheless, Russia, Ukraine and Europe have expressed support for China’s proposal to varying degrees, which signals positive progress. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan notes that eventually, peace talks will take place.

Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist

Amid the US-West realignment, developing countries and middle powers have strengthened mutual cooperation via high-level diplomacy. China’s deepening relations with Saudi Arabia and the Arab world as seen by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent high-profile visit to Riyadh is a key sign of this development.