Xi shows he wants to be close to Putin - but not too close

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin marque it look similar they're the champion of friends.

Xi took his spot astatine the right-hand broadside of Putin, the presumption of a steadfast ally, arsenic their troops marched unneurotic connected Red Square arsenic portion of Moscow's Victory Day parade.

Hours earlier, Xi described the enslaved betwixt the 2 countries arsenic "unbreakable" and added that Russia and China should beryllium "friends of steel".

This is Xi's 11th sojourn to Russia since becoming president successful 2013 and the 2 leaders person met connected much than 40 occasions.

Putin has already announced plans to sojourn China successful the autumn and the 2 leaders person even, successful the past, shared a uncommon nationalist hug.

But determination is much to this narration than meets the eye.

"We spot a batch of exchanges betwixt the 2 men and patriotic displays of togetherness," said Mathieu Boulegue, from the Center for European Policy Analysis.

"They tin beryllium friends connected 1 extremity oregon co-operating connected 1 extremity and past ripping each different isolated connected others, and really beryllium competitors successful definite aspects of their relationship.

"We get wowed by the symbolism. There's a batch of show astir this relationship. But it's absorbing to look astatine the existent substance."

In truth, President Xi is walking a precise good line. Russia is an important spouse for China but Putin's penetration of Ukraine has made him an planetary pariah successful overmuch of the world.

Beijing needs to beryllium cautious that its relationship with Moscow doesn't isolate different prospective partners, particularly arsenic it is warring an economical warfare with the United States.

China has been courting Europe for respective months and stepped up its run aft Donald Trump became US president.

Beijing has been keen to represent itself arsenic a unchangeable alternate planetary spouse successful opposition to an unpredictable White House successful Washington.

There were immoderate signs earlier this week that these diplomatic overtures were working.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and António Costa, the president of the European Council, exchanged messages connected Tuesday with President Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang to observe the 50th day of bilateral relations.

The stumbling artifact of immoderate prospective concern has been Beijing's close-knit narration with Moscow and its economical enactment for Russia. China has not condemned its "old friend" for the penetration and alternatively calls for an extremity to the "crisis".

If President Xi appears to basal excessively adjacent to Putin, it could origin friction with Europe astatine a clip erstwhile it is looking for friendship.

But the Chinese person has different cardinal connection to send.

Trump's archetypal attempts to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine had him touting his adjacent idiosyncratic narration with Putin. It prompted analysts to inquire if Washington was trying to thrust a wedge betwixt Moscow and Beijing.

Xi volition privation to marque it wide to Trump this is not possible.

"Together, we indispensable foil each schemes to disrupt oregon undermine our bonds of amity and trust," Xi wrote successful a signed nonfiction for Russian media.

The Russian and Chinese leaders besides described Trump's plans for a "Golden Dome" rocket defence shield implicit the US arsenic "deeply destabilising", and argued that it would weaponise space.

Both leaders are keen to contiguous their imaginativeness of an alternate satellite bid successful the look of what they judge is US hegemony.

But Xi volition beryllium alert that portion China is simply a superpower – Russia's powerfulness is present limited. This is nary longer a concern of equals.

The warfare successful Ukraine has weakened Russia's system and depleted its arsenal and army.

Western sanctions person besides near Moscow acold much reliant connected Beijing for economical survival. They person severely weakened the Kremlin connected the satellite stage.

"Russia needs China overmuch much than the other is true," Boulegue said.

Moscow volition request to "suck it up", helium added.

Putin whitethorn thin into his person arsenic they ticker the tanks rotation done Red Square and they tin squad up erstwhile they request each other.

But down the bold statements, the smiles, handshakes and the occasional hug, determination are imaginable sources of discord and disharmony which could aboveground successful the years to come.