MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday are an important way to "compare notes" as the US seeks to split the alliance between Moscow and Beijing, according to Alexey Maslov, a researcher at Moscow State University.
He conceded that formally the virtual talks were unrelated to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
"Nevertheless, of course, against the background of statements that the main goal of the US is to split the alliance between Russia and China, it is important that the countries are comparing notes, so to say, because both will soon be in close communication with the US," said Maslov, director at the university's Institute of Asian and African Countries.
According to the researcher, at the moment Russia is the most important partner for China in the face of absolute instability, which the US, among other countries, helps to foment.
"China itself has emphasized <...> that it is important for us to strengthen our relations in the face of instability. For China, everything that is happening today is, of course, absolute instability. First of all, there are attempts by the US to destroy normal trade and destroy normal regional security relations. And China is obviously stressing that Russia is its most important partner in this case," he said.
According to Maslov, it was important for Russia and China to reaffirm that plans for strategic cooperation in the SCO and BRICS remain unchanged, as well as the focus on expanding research and technical cooperation in 2025. The analyst also said it is regular practice for the leaders of the countries to get in touch with each other in January, ahead of the Chinese New Year, so the latest communication is in line with the tradition.