🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
As the wider world continues to read the tea leaves regarding Chinese leader Xi Jinping's ongoing visit to Moscow, the domestic Russian television audience is being treated to a spectacle of great power politics in action.
"China and Russia, the strengthening of friendship, record setting economies, global changes, the 'collective West' and Ukraine," Russian Channel One nightly news anchor Vitaly Eliseev intoned at the start of Tuesday evening's program.
"Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping discussed in the Kremlin what was most important and signed documents establishing a historical level in the relationship and laying out a plan for cooperation until the year 2030," Eliseev said.
The 20 minutes of coverage which followed were heavy on sentiment but light on details about what that "historical level" of cooperation might entail. Video of the signing ceremony in the Kremlin's Malachite Hall contained excerpts from the public addresses of both leaders.
"Russia and China are tying strong knots of good neighborliness, mutual assistance, support, and friendship between our peoples," Russian president Putin read from a piece of paper while seated in front of a background consisting of four red Chinese flags interspersed with four Russian tricolors.
Xi Jinping also got his turn at the microphone.
"In these new historical conditions, Russia and China will make far-sighted evaluations in order to develop our relationship while making a great contribution to the progress of humanity," a voiceover translation of the Chinese chairman's remarks offered as the picture on screen cut to a view of the officials seated in the hall.
Notably, no one on the Russian side was wearing a mask to protect against potential COVID infection, while the entire Chinese delegation was outfitted with white masks bearing the Chinese flag.
Concrete information was no more forthcoming when the leaders' remarks turned to the war in Ukraine. After Xi had read out a statement which concluded that China was always "in favor of peace and dialogue," Putin responded with a seemingly spontaneous accusation that "the West" remained intent on "fighting against Russia to the last Ukrainian."
"At the same time the chairman and I were discussing China's plans for a peaceful regulation of the conflict," said Putin, who on March 17 was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, "it became known that the United Kingdom was announcing the delivery not only of tanks to Ukraine, but of shells containing depleted uranium."
"If this happens," Putin added, "then Russia will be forced to respond to the collective West's use of weapons containing nuclear components."
But details did emerge when coverage turned to the spheres of economics and culture. Putin announced that a Russian project to assist with the construction of two nuclear power stations in China was going "according to plan." He also announced that "we are awaiting the arrival of a delegation of Chinese sportsmen in spring of next year in Kazan for the first international multi-sport tournament 'Games of the Future,' involving innovative types of sport in which physical activity pairs with digital and scientific elements."
While the contents of the two documents that Putin and Xi settled upon have not yet been made public, the Russian television segment ended with the promise that "tomorrow the Chinese delegation will set off for home with a signed agreement in their baggage and positive memories of Russian hospitality."
Still, both in Moscow and in the wider world, questions remain as to what unwritten, tacit understandings the two leaders might or might not have reached regarding the possible shipment of Chinese weapons and ammunition to Russia.
"We still don't know if Xi Jinping is our ally, or if he is only our trading partner," Dmitri Rode, head of the Moscow-based political discussion society "Truth Street," told Newsweek. "The visit didn't answer that question one way or the other."
