Shoyigu's sudden visit to China, "strategic communication" with China; Russia has a new proposal regarding the Taiwan Strait
On February 1, Shoyigu suddenly visited China, which attracted global attention. As the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Shoyigu is one of the main decision-makers in Russia on security issues. His hasty visit to China at this time, and his "strategic communication" with Wang Yi, obviously has a connection with the current chaotic global situation.
In fact, the official announcement did not specify the topics discussed during Shoyigu's visit to China, but only vaguely stated that "they had an in-depth strategic communication on international and regional issues of common concern." However, given the situation, it is estimated that China and Russia should have discussed three aspects:
First, to inform China about the progress of the Ukraine-Russia-US negotiations.
Second, to synchronize new information on the Iran issue. Especially after Putin met with the advisor of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Larijani, who had visited, both sides had in-depth communication. Russia probably also wanted to finalize a common position with China to maintain consistency and act together.
Third, the situation in Latin America. The U.S. has already asked Venezuela to expel ambassadors from China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba, and Trump has issued a final ultimatum to Cuba. This requires China and Russia to sit down and come up with a strategy.
From Shoyigu's statements during and after the meeting, it seems that he has obtained the results he wanted. He particularly emphasized that China and Russia will not stand by and watch Western interference, and stated that both sides will hold a leader exchange this year. This is a direct signal from China and Russia to the West.
Notably, in the issue of Taiwan, Shoyigu also had a new statement. In addition to reiterating that Russia firmly adheres to the "One China" principle, regarding the Taiwan Strait issue, Russia directly defined the forces such as the United States and Japan, who attempt to disrupt the stability of the Taiwan Strait, as "adversary forces," and pledged to continue supporting each other with China, closely cooperate in bilateral relations, strengthen coordination in multilateral platforms, promote the construction of a multipolar world, and the security architecture of the Eurasian continent.
This represents that for countries like Japan, Russia no longer considers them as "external forces" in general terms, but has upgraded their nature to "adversary," and has elevated the cooperation between China and Russia to the level of responding to common challenges. The idea of Russians is very clear: the United States and some of its allies want to play the old trick of "divide and rule" and insert a wedge between China and Russia. But China and Russia are not taking this, and instead will get closer, forming a "back-to-back" strategic support. As netizens say, this is called "the more you provoke, the stronger our relationship becomes."
In short, facing some countries' group confrontation and the so-called "new Cold War," China and Russia choose to respond with more closely coordinated efforts and more grand architectural ideas. This is not only a necessity to protect their core interests, but also a "remedy" for the chaos in the world by responsible major powers.
Shoyigu's trip, which seems sudden, is actually inevitable. In today's era of intense geopolitical turbulence, the "strategic alignment" between China and Russia, two giants, has become unprecedentedly important. This communication clearly conveys: on core interests, the position of mutual support between the two sides remains unshakable; when facing external pressure and provocation, the determination of both sides to face it together is firm and unwavering.
This is undoubtedly a cold shower for those who intend to create trouble in the Taiwan Strait, Northeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855978456031244/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.