Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping says that his regime and Vladimir Putin’s Russia are working together to drive forward a “change” that hasn’t been seen on the world stage in a century.
Putin had been hosting Xi in Moscow as a guest of honor this week as the two authoritarian powers continue to commit to increasing diplomatic, economic, and military cooperation.
As Xi left the Kremlin on March 22, he turned to Putin and said with a smile: “This is exactly, right now, the change which hasn’t happened in 100 years.
“And it is we, together, who are driving these changes forward.”
Putin replied, “I agree.”
“Please take care, dear friend,” Xi said before the two shook hands.
Putin then wished Xi a safe journey and waved goodbye to the Chinese leader from the sidewalk as Xi left in his state car.
The two leader’s parting exchange was captured on camera by media outlets.
China, Russia Vow to Create New World Order
The statement comes a day after the leaders openly pledged to reshape the international order to their interests, with Putin saying that China and Russia would create a more just “multipolar world order” to replace the “rules” of the current international order.
Xi’s reference to a change not seen in a century may be an allusion to the cementing of the modern rules-based international order that started to take shape after World War I, with the United States eventually emerging as a superpower.
Also around a century ago, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which now rules China as a single-party state, was founded. Years earlier, the Bolsheviks vanquished the last remnants of the White Army and solidified the Soviet Union, in which Putin would later serve as a lieutenant colonel of the military’s foreign intelligence service.
Xi and Putin first declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022, weeks before Russia launched its attempted conquest of Ukraine.
Hosting Xi this week was the grandest diplomatic gesture that Putin has conducted since that time, given Russia’s isolation on the world stage.
