Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
17 May 2024 | 16:14 SAST
1-minute read

Image: BBC

The recent meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping concluded with a joint agreement that strengthens bilateral ties between the countries.

The visit is Putin’s first foreign trip since he started his fifth term, and it comes as no surprise that China was selected as his first stop, Sizo Nkala said today on Radio Islam International.

Nkala, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said the agreement underlines China’s increasingly important role in supporting Russia, especially in the context of sanctions on China and its isolation from the west.

“Russia has come to depend on China for economic support. China is now the largest importer of Russian oil, after the West refused imports of Russian gas and oil,” Nkala said.

China’s expression of neutrality in the Ukrainian war signifies its diplomatic support for Russia, deepening the state’s dependence on China.

However, the relationship is not one-sided, with Russia symbolising China’s strongest partner in its rivalry with the United States, Nkala said. Additionally, China needs Russia’s help with its plans to reunify Taiwan with mainland China.

Despite US efforts to stifle the collaboration between the two countries, including the threat of sanctions, China’s increasingly important role in global trade dynamics makes it unassailable.

Security alliances, such as the quadrilateral security dialogue between India, Japan, Australia, and the US, are thus unlikely to succeed in containing China in the Indo-Pacific region, Nkala pointed out.

Meanwhile, the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, is seen as an attempt to eliminate key Russia and China supporters, Nkala said, and could well be part of a plan to “create a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment, especially in Europe.”

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat here.