Putin-Xi meetup entrenches an emerging Moscow-Beijing axis

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has been isolated on Ukraine in a series of big summits in recent weeks. But that changed significantly late last week, when his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping gave his support in their first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic, entrenching an emerging Moscow-Beijing axis.

Xi's closeness to Putin has been one of the key drivers emboldening Russian foreign policy, which has significant implications, not just for geopolitics but also the global economy. With both men likely to be in power until the 2030s, they may be seen by future historians as the two dominant figures in international relations in the first half of the 21st century.

The warmth in bilateral ties is very much driven by the apparent personal warmth between the two men, with Putin (who didn't travel to the G20 or COP26 at the end of last year) having highlighted his delight at being a guest of honour at the Winter Olympics, against which key Western nations are holding a diplomatic boycott to protest China's human-rights record in Xinjiang.