Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin will meet in Beijing on Tuesday. Russia will push for greater Chinese support for its war in Ukraine, Beijing's approval of a gas pipeline, and deeper economic cooperation. China wants to consolidate Russia's status as its junior partner in challenging U.S. global leadership.
Still, both Xi and Putin are also focused on increasing international pressure on Israel to end its war against Hamas. Putin emphasized that point in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. A Kremlin readout highlighted Putin's push to"prevent further escalation of violence." Putin has blamed the violence on U.S. policy failures and the absence of a Palestinian state.
Speaking with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Monday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi argued that the United Nations Security Council"must take action" over Israel's response. Wang has condemned the"collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians, asserting China"will stand on the side of peace and justice and support the Palestinian people in their just cause of safeguarding their national rights.
Nevertheless, this Sino-Russian strategy is risky. The unprecedented horror of these Hamas attacks means that the Israeli people and politicians may not so easily forget and forgive those who now stand against them.