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ForbesMay 22
Putin, Xi Announce 'New Era' of Cooperation
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The Facts
Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday signed a joint statement proclaiming a "new era" of cooperation given what they claim is aggressive US behavior.
The joint statement condemned Washington's alleged Cold War mentality, claiming it was "guided by the logic of bloc confrontation" and threatened regional "security and stability."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
To promote their claimed vision of a more fair and peaceful order, China and Russia seek to portray the West as decadent and in decline. However, in pursuing their autocratic world vision, both face serious challenges — including a slowing Chinese economy and a bolstered NATO following Russia's Ukraine invasion. There's also a growing imbalance in bilateral ties in China's favor, and it remains to be seen how durable their alleged "no limits" cooperation will be.
Establishment-critical narrative
Putin's China trip is a powerful symbol of unity between the two world powers. The West desperately seeks to convince Xi that backing Putin is detrimental to China's interests and runs entirely against the wall. The West is proving incapable of recognizing that the era of the US-dominated liberal order is over — as the course of the Ukraine proxy war underscores. With its hostility towards China and Russia, the US-led West is primarily harming itself.
