Russian journalist Mikhail Khodaryonok has attacked “Chinese interests” ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow next week – his first since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Khodaryonok spoke on the Russia 1 channel, and an excerpt of his speech was shared by the Kremlin Yap Twitter account, which tweets Russian propaganda.
Moscow and Beijing simultaneously announced Xi’s three-day visit to Russia on Friday. Talks between the Chinese leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 20-22 are expected to focus heavily on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The US has questioned Beijing’s position that it is a neutral actor in the conflict, with State Department spokesman Ned Price telling reporters in February that China had “very clearly” taken a side in the war.
Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui told state news agency RIA Novosti on Friday that Beijing will stand “back to back” with Moscow.
Kremlin Yap provided a screen translation of Khodaryonok’s comments on state television on Friday. According to the translation, he said: “With Chairman Xi’s upcoming visit to Moscow, I would say there is some excitement, even enthusiasm, among pundits, such as: ‘We are back with China against the collective West . We’ve got a fight shakedown, guns blazing,’ and so on.
“What would I like to say in that regard? First, China can only have one ally – China itself,” he continued.
“Second, China can only have pro-Chinese interests. Third, China has no altruism in its foreign policy. It is impossible to imagine Chinese friends intervening in any way, as we did for the Bulgarians in 1877,” Khodaryonok said, referring to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.
Khodaryonok added: “Finally, we should also remember that China is a nation that keeps a list of historical grievances.
“It remembers well the 19th century, the century of China’s humiliation. And Russia doesn’t take the top spot on this list either. It is not necessary to focus on it, but it is always necessary to remember it.”
In 2021, Xi described the post-Opium War period of 1839-42 as a period when China was “gradually reduced by foreign powers to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society that suffered greater devastation than ever before,” which resulted in “intense humiliation.” brought for the country” and “great pain for its people”.
The Kremlin on Friday said Xi would come “at the invitation” of Putin to discuss “issues of further developing the comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China.”
In February, Beijing released a 12-point solution to the war in Ukraine that was almost immediately dismissed in the US
Do you have a tip on a world news story that news week should cover? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine War? Let us know at worldnews@latestpagenews.com.
