China’s Xi highlights ‘world peace’ in New Year’s message to Russia’s Putin

Chinese leader underscores ‘rapidly evolving changes not seen in a century and the turbulent international situation’.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to promote “world peace” in a New Year’s message to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

“No matter how the international situation changes, China will remain steadfast in further comprehensively deepening reform … and promoting world peace and development,” Xi said on Tuesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Since Putin’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022, China has sought to present itself as a neutral party – unlike the United States and other Western nations.

But it remains a close political and economic partner of Russia, leading some NATO members to brand Beijing an “enabler” of the war.

According to CCTV, Xi told Putin: “In the face of rapidly evolving changes not seen in a century and the turbulent international situation, China and Russia have consistently moved forward hand-in-hand along the correct path of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party.”