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G7 is tough, pushing Russia and China closer 0
US President Joe Biden plans to raise a series of controversial issues with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when the two meet in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16 to discuss the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Russia.
China and Russia, meanwhile, have `no other choice` but to come closer together, especially after the leaders of the G7 and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently showed that
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in June 2019.
NATO said on June 14 that China poses `systemic challenges` to the rules-based international order and that Russia’s actions pose a `threat` to Euro-Atlantic security.
Before the summit with the US President, the Kremlin boss in an interview with NBC News broadcast on June 12 declared that Russia-US relations had `eroded to the lowest level in recent years`.
President Biden meanwhile emphasized that the US wants a stable and predictable relationship with Russia, and `does not seek conflict`.
Putin also said that there are efforts to sabotage Russia-China relations, but the connection between the two countries is currently `unprecedented` tight.
Experts predict that at the meeting with his Russian counterpart, President Biden will raise issues such as cyber attacks, tensions in Ukraine or arms control, but they are unlikely to make much progress.
Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said that the statements of NATO and the G7 last week had `added fuel` to the fire of the US-Russia rivalry and the summit in
`Biden wants to reaffirm America’s tough position when he comes to Geneva,` Shi commented, adding that arms control will be a central issue after the two sides agreed in January to extend the START treaty.
According to Shi, tensions with the West are likely to lead to a stronger alliance between Russia and China.
In a statement on June 13, G7 called on Russia to investigate the use of chemical weapons and handle those behind cyber attacks.
Lu Xiang, an expert on relations with the US at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Washington could try to ease tensions by offering certain concessions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
`Biden will probe Putin and try to communicate with Putin in an effort to divide China-Russia relations,` Lu assessed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin in May agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in an online ceremony to launch the construction of four new reactors in a joint Russian-Chinese nuclear project.
However, Artyom Lukin, associate professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, said statements from the G7 and NATO are unlikely to help Moscow and Beijing get closer because they are already `close enough`.
`If anything, that will encourage Beijing to ask Russia for closer cooperation. But it remains to be seen how Russia responds to such an offer,` Lukin commented.
According to Lukin, the Geneva summit will not be able to resolve tensions between Russia and the United States, but it could be useful in easing hostility between the two countries, whose relations `are at their lowest point since the early years.`
`For example, they could agree to end a diplomatic war that in recent years has seen American and Russian diplomats expelled, consulates closed and visa issuance suspended.
Vu Hoang (According to SCMP)