China Daily Editorializes, Putin-Biden Summit ‘Should Help Reduce Tensions’

May 27, 2021 (EIRNS)—The semi-official China Daily has a carefully optimistic view of the June 16 Putin-Biden summit, declaring that it is “significant” and “should help to reduce tensions” between the two major powers. But the editorial, “Biden-Putin Summit Will not Devalue China-Russia Ties,” also states that the Biden administration seems to believe that China is a greater “threat” than Russia, and it may think it can use the summit to drive a wedge between Russia and China. That will not happen, China Daily states with certainty, headlining its editorial “Biden-Putin summit will not devalue China-Russia ties.”

The editorial continues: “Although the Biden-Putin meeting is scheduled on the heels of a G7 and then a NATO gathering, at which the participants will no doubt seek to coordinate their stances toward Russia, the fact that it has been placed on both sides’ agenda is significant.... There is no doubt the White House sees a greater ‘threat’ in China, and wishes to focus U.S. resources on containing China. But it would be wishful thinking to conclude the meeting will prove to be a dream come true for the U.S. administration in that respect, since no analysis of the proposed summit should ignore Beijing’s and Moscow’s latest evaluations of their relationship.”

China Daily concludes: “Any anticipation that the proposed Biden-Putin summit will damage China-Russia relations is misplaced as it proceeds from the zero-sum mentality, which, as [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov indicated, belongs to a bygone era.... And the strength of the China-Russia relationship that doesn’t target any third parties will not be tested by either side’s efforts to improve ties with the U.S. Nor should the U.S. view the Sino-Russian relationship as targeting it.”