It is, potentially, the trade agreement which, in full tension with the West, could concretize the Chinese turn of the Kremlin of Vladimir Putin. On the sidelines of the summit of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), organized this Friday, September 16 in Samarkand, the historic city of Uzbekistan in the heart of Central Asia, its energy minister Alexandre Novak said that the future Siberian Force 2 gas pipeline to China could ” replace “ Nord Stream 2 to connect Russia to Europe. The 50 billion cubic meters of gas planned for the markets in the West would thus potentially be redirected towards the Chinese markets.
“New centers of power”
Isolated geopolitically by the Americans and Europeans and now jostled on the Ukrainian military front, Vladimir Putin sought to take advantage of the Samarkand summit to pose as a counterweight to Western influence. With the main partner among the 15 heads of state, from Turkey to Pakistan, via Kazakhstan or Iran: Xi Jinping.
In a well-oiled scene, the Chinese president called on his colleagues to “to work together to promote an international order in a more just and rational direction”. Then the head of the Kremlin rejoiced at the « increasingly evident role of the new centers of power”. The first promoted the fight against “terrorism and separatism”the second against “terrorism and extremism”. A more than semantic nuance: Xi Jinping had in mind Taiwan, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine.
However, the Russian president did not receive broad support in Samarkand for his “special military operation” in Ukraine. Far from there. Xi Jinping did not say a word about it and, during their bilateral meeting, Vladimir Putin himself admitted that Beijing harbors “concerns” regarding the conflict. Many summit participants simply mentioned “the Ukrainian crisis”cautious wording so as not to irritate Russia, some having shown rare signs of distancing from the Kremlin in recent months.
As for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he candidly told Vladimir Putin that the hour should not “to be at war”. A thinly disguised warning he issued during the bilateral meeting, pointing out “the importance of democracy, diplomacy and dialogue”.
Strengthened ties with China, at least in appearance
The Uzbek President, Chavkat Mirzioev, conductor of the summit, for his part repeated that priority should be given to the « dialogue ». Without a word on Ukraine. For six years, he has launched his own country into vast reforms of liberalization and modernization, akin to “perestroika”, which depend in part on Western support and investment. “The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is becoming an increasingly broad and responsible organization, capable of making proposals on current regional and global issues”, rejoiced Vladimir Norov, the Uzbek Foreign Minister, during the final briefing with the press. In the corridors, the organizers welcomed the signing of 80 framework agreements. None, however, concerns Ukraine.
If he did not obtain broad support in Samarkand for his offensive in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin strengthened – in appearance at least – his ties with Beijing. A partnership more than an alliance. China did not condemn the offensive and denounced Western sanctions. But she was careful not to walk the talk. In practice, Chinese support for its problematic Russian friend has hardly materialized. No supply of arms in the showdown with Ukraine. But above all, no massive exports of spare parts, in particular crucial semiconductors, covered by the sanctions of the West, which therefore no longer sells them to Russia. This is a headache for Russian industry, civil and military, because, de facto, Chinese companies respect Western sanctions. A real thorn for the Kremlin.