China and Russia say their trade and political relations are better than ever, though senior Russian officials are privately concerned about an increasingly assertive China along Moscow’s vast and largely empty southeastern border.
Vice President Xi Jinping, seen as the frontrunner to succeed President Hu Jintao in 2013, told Putin Beijing wanted the power of key developing nations to be recognised.
“We consider that in the process of the deep transformation of the world order, the interests of China, Russia and other developing countries must be taken fully into account,” Xi said.
“Russia and China must become strategic props for each other in the future on all questions which have a strategic interest for Russia,” he told Putin at the start of talks in Moscow.
Analysts said the visit to Russia — which will include a meeting on Wednesday with President Dmitry Medvedev — was aimed to acquaint Russia’s leaders with a potential successor to Hu.
“Xi Jinping is considered to be one of the candidates to replace Hu Jintao so it is a very important visit, to get acquainted with him and to understand the aims of the man who could be the next ruler of China,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs.
Russia has called for the group of emerging market powers known as BRIC — which also includes Brazil, India and China — to be given more say in world affairs, though China’s economy is bigger than the other three put together.
