China’s President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for bilateral talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and to participate in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory in World War II. Security was even more heightened than usual, due to Ukrainian drone strikes in Moscow shortly before his arrival.
Moscow airports shut down some of their activities soon before Xi arrived due to the strikes, which have lasted three days. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian didn’t comment directly on the disruptions, but called for a wider de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis: “The pressing priority is to avoid escalation of tensions, and relevant parties need to build consensus and create conditions for this.”
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Xi is the guest of honor at the celebrations. The fact that his presence there partially overlaps with U.S.-China trade talks scheduled for this weekend in Switzerland arguably emphasizes China’s maneuverability in the face of U.S. pressure.
