Political expert and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko explained that China could make the war more difficult for Russia by stopping purchases of Russian oil and restricting technology exports, but is unlikely to take such steps, reports Politeka.
He said this in his blog.
According to the expert, Trump currently has a trump card for his meeting with Xi Jinping — the Lindsey Graham Act. Thus, he notes, Trump can discuss imposing tariffs to persuade China to reduce its purchases of Russian oil and gas, which would weaken the Russian economy and put pressure on Putin.
“But it is important to understand that for Xi Jinping and his foreign policy, a president like Putin at the helm of Russia is probably a dream. Putin is driving Russia into a strategic dead end, making it maximally dependent on China. China has gained access to resources and is buying them at bargain prices. China seeks to bleed Russia dry in its confrontation with the West in order to obtain raw materials, cheap resources, rare earth elements, and access to land in the future. This is the Chinese plan. And is it in China’s interests now for this bleeding of Russia to stop? I don’t think so. Therefore, we should not expect Xi to suddenly start putting pressure on Putin,” Oleksandr Musiienko explains.
However, the expert notes, if the United States manages to persuade China to stop purchasing Russian oil and switch to supplies from Venezuela, the United States, or other suppliers, that would already be a positive outcome, and the negotiations could be considered successful. He also adds that artificial intelligence will be discussed, as it is a highly relevant topic that is currently being actively debated and is expected to be one of the key issues on the agenda of the meeting.
“But I will say right away that we should not expect Xi to pressure Putin now to end the war. Xi Jinping also does not have a complete monopoly over the ability to force Putin to end the war. But he can force him to do many things and restrict him in many ways. What could Xi Jinping do to make it harder for Putin to wage the war? Ban the export of dual-use technologies from China and crack down on companies that continue to do so. But that is not in China’s nature. China is accustomed to making money and seeking economic benefits,” Oleksandr Musiienko concludes.
