Der Leyen: Russia is now militarily and economically dependent on China

An increasingly isolated Russia is now dependent on China for its military and economic needs, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.

She said Russia was relying more on its eastern ally as it was failing to achieve its goals, writes The Geopost.

“Russia is missing its strategic goals,” von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“It is first and foremost a military failure,” she said, pointing out that Ukraine had so far maintained its “freedom and independence” in its almost two-year war with Moscow.

“Russia’s failure is also economic,” she continued, emphasizing the impact of the sanctions on the country’s isolation from trade with Western allies.

“Russia is now dependent on China,” von der Leyen added.

While Ukraine, she said, is “closer than ever” to membership of the European Union.

Russia’s trade with China has increased after Western sanctions were imposed following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Annual bilateral trade between the two countries reached almost 200 billion US dollars last year, which President Xi Jinping described as a “historic measure”.

This comes amid growing speculation about Beijing’s role in fueling the Moscow war. New data released last week suggests that Chinese companies are important conduits for channeling Western technologies into the Russian military.

At the forum, China demonstrated its position on the EU with dueling speeches that highlighted global divisions.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang introduced business investors; while EU leader Ursula von der Leyen focused on democracy and the West’s geopolitical interests.

The fractured state of the world became clear on Tuesday in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos as European and Chinese leaders gave dueling speeches to open the annual meeting of global business and political elites.

In a carefully tailored speech to a global business audience at the World Economic Forum, Chinese Premier Li Qiang put forward a vague five-point proposal that he said was aimed at “restoring trust and strengthening economic cooperation” between China and the West.

He said this should include stronger macroeconomic coordination, unblocking China-centered supply chains, greater cooperation on green goals and stronger technology cooperation.

While Li didn’t mention the U.S. once, he repeatedly referred to “capricious” countries without naming them, Politico writes.

Much of Li’s speech was aimed at allaying global investors’ fears that they have cooled toward China as its economy slows and its regime becomes increasingly totalitarian and market-intrusive./The Geopost/