“We gladly accept Xi Jinping’s invitation” to attend for the first time
Defense Ministers of the two countries “cooperation in military training and joint patrol”
China and Russia are fighting the western ‘diplomatic boycott’ of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics with a solid alliance. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, while also engaging in defense cooperation.
According to the state-run Chinese network on the 24th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that President Putin will attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. “President Putin readily accepted the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and is discussing concrete measures,” said Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, President Xi attended the opening ceremony, which was the first time that a Chinese president has participated in a large-scale sports event abroad. As a result, Putin is likely to become the first head of state to meet Xi since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post explained.
The disclosure of this fact at a time when the United States, Britain, and Canada are reviewing a ‘diplomatic boycott’ of the Beijing Winter Olympics is an analysis that the two countries are showing off their ‘mildwall relationship’ in the face of pressure from the West. Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, told the South China Morning Post that “supporting each other’s big events is part of a strategic cooperative relationship.”
The two countries are also building a stronger relationship by discussing defense cooperation. According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, the defense ministers of the two countries held a video conference on the 23rd to discuss strengthening defense cooperation. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, “In recent months, the US has conducted more than 30 strategic bomber exercises near the Russian border,” adding that “it poses a threat to both China and Russia.” The defense ministers of the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on strategic military exercises and joint patrols at the meeting, Reuters reported.
Western pressure to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics is growing stronger. China’s tennis star Peng Shen Yi (彭帥)’s ‘Me Too’ exposure has sparked a western boycott movement that has been criticized for China’s crackdown on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet. Sophie Richardson, director of China of Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights group, said at a press conference on the 23rd (local time) that she recently video call with Shun Feng and aimed at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has empowered the Chinese government, “for human rights violations.” I close my eyes and focus only on hosting the Olympics.”
Correspondent Sora Kim sora@seoul.co.kr
