Xi And Putin Get What They Wanted Out Of Their Summit

"This week's Russia-China summit in Moscow was not unusual in itself. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have met many times more, and less, formally. They appear to have established an amicable and straight-talking relationship - their discussions were described by Putin at their closing press conference as "frank, open and friendly".

- Mary Dejevsky

Viewed through the longer lens of history, however, this visit may end up being seen as a unique, landmark, occasion: the point at which the global centre of gravity started seriously to shift from West to East.

It is a shift that the United States has long prepared for and dreaded. There was a wariness with which Washington, in particular, has looked on from a distance. There were, to a degree, three at this summit, even if the summiteers acted between themselves as though the United States was not there.

The stage management may primarily have been for each other; but the size of the flags, the height of the doors and the length of the red carpets were all designed by Moscow to impress not just China, but to project the solidity of the Russian-Chinese relationship to the Western world.

This is not, it should be stressed, an alliance, military or otherwise and will probably never be. Nor should Putin and Xi be regarded as close friends, for all that they were once filmed making pancakes together and are almost exact contemporaries: Putin in 70; Xi - 69. This is a cool-headed relationship for mutual benefit and in mutual interest. It is also a relationship in which the advantage, while quite evenly balanced, may subtly have turned.

Russia pulled out all the stops for Xi. From the airport arrival to the banquet to the signing of the joint statement and their press conference, this was at the very top end of Russia's ceremonial register. And the joint statement indicated that they were parting, having achieved pretty much what each of them wanted.

There was demonstrative value for Xi as well. China has suffered an increasing barrage of hostile rhetoric from the United States, most recently over the surveillance balloon incident. It is useful for Xi, too, to show that he has friends.