New Silk Roads: Xi criticizes “unilateral sanctions” and “block confrontation”

A plea for free trade. Chinese President Xi Jinping denounced “economic coercion” and “block confrontation” on Wednesday at the opening in Beijing of the third New Silk Roads forum, in which his Russian ally Vladimir Putin is participating. “We oppose unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, decoupling and the reduction of economic ties,” the leader said in a speech. In a context of tensions with Beijing, certain political leaders in Europe and the United States have been advocating for several months a “decoupling” with China, that is to say cutting all economic ties with the Asian giant, or at least to limit their dependence.

China is hosting representatives from some 130 countries until Wednesday for the New Silk Roads forum (officially called “The Belt and Road”). A major diplomatic event whose distinguished guest is the Russian president, who is making his first trip to a major world power since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which isolated Russia on the international scene.

Beijing will not engage in “an ideological confrontation, geopolitical games or a confrontation of blocs,” assured Xi Jinping on Wednesday. “Seeing the development of others as a threat and economic interdependence as a risk will not improve everyone's lives, nor make them develop faster,” he added.

Moscow and Beijing “share the desire for fair cooperation in the world,” declared Vladimir Putin in a speech just after that of Xi Jinping. Heavily sanctioned by the West because of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia is seeking to strengthen its already very close ties with China, which seems to have gained the upper hand in their bilateral relations - unbalanced since the Russian weakening due to at war.

Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, present at the forum as the government's special representative for China, left the room shortly before the start of Vladimir Putin's speech, according to journalists on site.

In his speech, Xi Jinping defended the New Silk Roads, a vast infrastructure project carried out by Beijing in around a hundred countries, affirming that they will “bring new impetus to the world economy”. “The New Silk Roads aim to strengthen connectivity in terms of politics, infrastructure, trade, finance and between people, and bring new impetus to the global economy,” he said . “We strongly believe that only win-win cooperation can do things and do them well,” Xi Jinping added. And “China is willing to deepen cooperation with the partners of the New Silk Roads”.

Also read: Xi Jinping’s China slows down on its “Silk Roads”

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met Tuesday evening at a ceremony opening the summit, shaking hands and exchanging a few words. They also took part in a group photo with other leaders. A meeting between the two heads of state is scheduled for Wednesday, at a time when the war rages between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The two men “will discuss in a friendly and frank manner (...) urgent problems of bilateral practical cooperation and the international agenda,” explained the Kremlin.

Western countries have mostly supported Israel since October 7, when Hamas fighters crossed the border between the Gaza Strip and the Jewish state to massacre more than 1,400 people - most of them civilians. Washington called on Beijing to use its “influence” to calm the situation in the region, where Israeli retaliatory bombings on Gaza have killed at least 2,750 people, the majority Palestinian civilians, according to local authorities.

In March, China sponsored the spectacular agreement to restore diplomatic relations between Iran - support of Hamas - and Saudi Arabia. Beijing will also send its Middle East envoy, Zhai Jun, to the region this week. According to state television CCTV, he will argue for a ceasefire and peace talks. Russia, which traditionally has good relations with Israeli and Palestinian authorities, has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the conflict.

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