Who Will Take The Part...

... from Russian side during Xi's visit. While losers from AP bemoan Xi's visit to Moscow: 

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes. Xi’s visit was the latest sign of Beijing’s emboldened diplomatic ambitions, and came amid sharpening East-West tensions over the war in Ukraine, now in its 13th month. The U.S. on Friday said it would oppose any effort by China at the meeting to propose a ceasefire in Ukraine as the “ratification of Russian conquest.”

They fail to understand, which is natural for Western office plankton due to it being uncultured ignoramuses, that it is, actually, the other way around. And here comes a bit of a framework. This is not me talking, this is real Sinologist:

Профессор РУДН Андрей Виноградов уверен, что США не хотят воевать с Китаем, но создают институты, которые нужны в условиях перехода к многополярному миру. "Их нельзя назвать в полной мере конфронтационными, но они будут противодействовать китайскому влиянию в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе", — поясняет китаист.При этом Виноградов считает, что у КНР не так много вариантов ответа. Гонка вооружений выгодна скорее американцам, чем китайцам, которые должны решать проблему модернизации экономики. "Пекин не хочет повторить опыт Советского Союза, но Штаты ставят его в невыгодное положение. Китай мог бы противопоставить AUKUS если не собственный союз, то хотя бы военно-политическое сотрудничество с сильными игроками. Можно договориться с Москвой, но в нынешней ситуации есть риск, что это навредит", — отмечает эксперт.Как бы то ни было, США и их союзники продолжат окружать китайцев военными блоками. А те вынуждены будут проводить внешнеполитический курс, которого придерживаются с начала 1980-х: представлять интересы развивающихся стран и выступать за мирное урегулирование конфликтов. Пока у Пекина нет других вариантов, заключает Виноградов.

 

Translation: RUDN University professor Andrei Vinogradov is sure that the United States does not want to fight China, but creates the institutions that are needed in the transition to a multipolar world. “They cannot be called fully confrontational, but they will counteract Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region,” the sinologist explains. At the same time, Vinogradov believes that the PRC does not have many options for an answer. The arms race is more beneficial to the Americans than to the Chinese, who must solve the problem of modernizing the economy. “Beijing does not want to repeat the experience of the Soviet Union, but the States put it at a disadvantage. China could oppose AUKUS if not its own alliance, then at least military-political cooperation with strong players. It is possible to agree with Moscow, but in the current situation there is a risk, that it will hurt,” the expert notes. Be that as it may, the United States and its allies will continue to surround the Chinese with military blocs. And those will be forced to pursue the foreign policy course that they have been adhering to since the early 1980s: to represent the interests of developing countries and advocate for the peaceful settlement of conflicts. For now, Beijing has no other options, Vinogradov concludes.

I largely agree with Vinogradov here, with some minor caveats, and I write about it for years. Some of those things I wrote and continue to write often are met with disdain and disbelief by many enthusiastic supporters of China but I will repeat it again: China is still not in the same league militarily as US and Russia, granted that the US is in the process of departing from largely self-proclaimed military superiority. Still, China has a long way to go here. And that is where those first signals started to be sent out by Russia, such as yesterday with Konstantin Biyurulin of KRTV articulating the readiness of KRTV to transfer hypersonic technologies to friendly countries. Now Ria published the list and it is a peculiar one for special meeting in a limited capacity. There will be meeting in an expanded capacity too.

МОСКВА, 17 мар - РИА Новости. Зампред Совбеза РФ Дмитрий Медведев, глава МИД Сергей Лавров, вице-премьер Дмитрий Чернышенко, глава ЦБ Эльвира Набиуллина, министр обороны Сергей Шойгу, глава Роскосмоса Юрий Борисов и директор Федеральной службы по военно-техническому сотрудничеству Дмитрий Шугаев примут участие в первом раунде российско-китайских переговорах, которые пройдут 21 марта, заявил помощник президента по международным делам Юрий Ушаков."У нас намечено с учётом важности визита большое представительство... Переговоры в узком составе - в них предполагается участие Медведева, Лаврова, Чернышенко, Шойгу, я буду участвовать, Набиуллина, Шугаев, Борисов и посол Моргулов. Круг участников позволяет подсказать, какие темы могут быть затронуты", - рассказал Ушаков журналистам.

Translation: MOSCOW, March 17 - RIA Novosti. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Head of Roscosmos Yuri Borisov and Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev will take part in the first round of Russian-Chinese Presidential Assistant for International Affairs Yuri Ushakov said. "We have a large representation planned, taking into account the importance of the visit ... Negotiations in a narrow format - Medvedev, Lavrov, Chernyshenko, Shoigu are supposed to participate in them, I will participate, Nabiullina, Shugaev, Borisov and Ambassador Morgulov. The circle of participants allows us to suggest what topics can be touched upon," Ushakov told reporters.  

Ushakov is correct--easy to understand once you see these names: Shoigu, Borisov and Shugaev. Those are movers and shakers of Russia's Armed Forces and Military-Industrial Complex and I can guarantee you that in Xi's shopping list there will be many very advanced toys present which China will need to push back on the US in general, and AUKUS in particular. Those toys will also serve as a deterrent. It is absolutely clear that China will ask for hypersonics and for aviation. Now, will China ask for S-500? Recall, that India stated that she will be the first recipient of this complex. China DOES need Russia's support and it will be fascinating to hear and see the results of this undeniably monstrously important summit in Moscow.  Per space--yes, I am sure the commitment to new space station and Lunar permanent station will be confirmed.