Xi, Putin pledge to ‘deepen trust’ in US swipe

The meeting came as US President Joe Biden was set to arrive in Israel, which was the target of international condemnation after an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip killed hundreds of Palestinians.

Neither Mr Putin nor Mr Xi directly mentioned the Middle East conflict in their opening speeches to the Beijing forum marking China’s $US1 trillion ($1.6 trillion) BRI infrastructure initiative.

However, both leaders took veiled swipes at the United States, which has been strongly supportive of Israel over the unprecedented Hamas attacks this month that left hundreds of Israelis dead.

“We stand against unilateral sanctions, economic coercion and decoupling and supply chain disruptions,” Mr Xi said, according to Xinhua, without naming any country but in clear reference to US policy against China in recent years. “Ideology confrontation, geopolitical rivalry and bloc politics are not a choice for us.”

Mr Xi’s latest show of global diplomacy comes as he faces growing economic pressure at home. As the meeting took place, China released its latest economic data, which showed GDP rose 4.9 per cent in the third quarter. This was higher than forecast and compared to 6.3 per cent growth in the second quarter.

Economists said government efforts to stimulate the economy appeared to be working, but there was still concern about the debt-laden property sector.

Mr Xi defended the BRI, which has been criticised for saddling poorer countries with debt, as a driver of global growth. He outlined an eight-point plan for the next phase of the initiative, including a logistics corridor across Europe and Asia.

Mr Putin also praised the initiative and Russia hoped it would attract more investment in the Northern Sea Route, Russia’s main shipping lane in the Arctic.

The meeting was a fresh affirmation of Mr Xi’s “no limits” friendship established with Russia last year, and tacit support for the invasion of Ukraine despite opposition from Washington and Moscow’s heavy losses in the conflict.

US-China tensions have been further complicated by the Middle East crisis. Both Mr Xi and Mr Putin are using the gathering of representatives from more than 130 countries to present an alternative to the US-led global order.

“We must embark with drive and enthusiasm on the new journey towards another golden decade,” Mr Xi told guests at a banquet held on Tuesday night.

While BRI spending declined during the pandemic, China said it has signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and 30 international organisations across five continents.

Representatives from more than 130 countries are in Beijing for the forum, including 23 heads of state, They included Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.

Mr Xi also met Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and said China wanted to expand cooperation with Australia’s neighbour in the Pacific, state media reported.

Australia has not sent a representative to the forum.

“Australia’s position on the Belt and Road initiative remains unchanged. We engage on a case-by-case basis with infrastructure projects that are transparent and open, uphold robust standards, meet genuine need, and avoid unsustainable debt burdens for recipient countries,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said.