China's rapprochement with Russia and coordination against America, Xi will visit Serbia

The Chinese leader will stop in the Balkan country on or around May 7, according to people familiar with the preparations, who asked not to be identified because the schedules have not been made public.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to questions about the details of Xi's trip to Europe, The Bloomberg reports.

By visiting a European nation that has not endorsed Western sanctions on Moscow, Xi would make clear that China will stand by Russia and deepen their partnership, said Neil Thomas, a fellow on China policy at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis.

"The main function of this close relationship is to oppose America."

Adding to the political theater, Putin – Russia's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin – will be inaugurated for his fifth term on May 7.

Xi’s trip to Europe, which includes stops in France and Hungary, comes after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this month urged the Chinese leader to persuade Putin to end his “mad war.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken will voice similar concerns in Beijing this week, as the U.S. drafts sanctions targeting Chinese banks that aid the Russian military, according to the Wall Street Journal.

As Beijing finds itself increasingly isolated within the US-led system, it has joined hands with Moscow in trying to build influence with alternative blocs. NATO has condemned the China-Russia partnership as an affront to the rules-based international order and called China a “systemic challenge” to the alliance.

Ties between China and Serbia, which is not a member of the EU, have strengthened under Xi's leadership, even as China's broader relations with Europe have clashed over human rights issues and trade disputes. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Chinese state media in February that "Taiwan is China," supporting Beijing's claim to the self-governing island.

Xi last visited Serbia in 2016. He also praised the citizens of both countries for their “unflinching against hegemonic power,” according to state media reports on the trip. /TheGeopost/