>> NOW, XI JINGPING APPEARS TO BE DOING A RATHER DELICATE
DANCE ALONG THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD IN UZBEKISTAN THE CHINESE
PRESIDENT MET WITH HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, VLADIMIR PUTIN,
PLEDGING MUTUAL SUPPORT AND COOPERATION ON CORE INTERESTS,
BUT ONLY MR. PUTIN MENTIONED THE WAR IN UKRAINE.
CNN'S IVAN WATSON REPORTS. >> TWO, LEADERS UNITED BY THEIR
DISLIKE OF THE U.S.. SHE JINPING MAKING HIS FIRST
TRIP OUTSIDE OF COVID LOCKDOWN CHINA AND MORE THAN TWO YEARS.
FACE TO FACE WITH HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, VLADIMIR PUTIN,
WHO QUICKLY ADDRESSES THE ELEPHANT IN THE RUDE ROOM.
WE HIGHLY APPRECIATE THE BALANCE POSITION OF OUR CHINESE
FRIENDS A CONNECTION OF THE UKRAINIAN CRISIS.
WE UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS IN THIS REGARD.
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIA'S DEADLY WAR IN UKRAINE.
A SHIFT IN TONE FOR THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MEN MET, AT THE
START OF THE BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS IN FEBRUARY, SHE
JINPING AND PUTIN ANNOUNCED A FRIENDSHIP WITH NO LIMITS, AND
CALLED FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER, NOT DOMINATED BY WASHINGTON.
BUT ONLY WEEKS LATER, PUTIN LAUNCHED HIS INVASION OF
UKRAINE, AND IT HAS NOT GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN.
RUSSIA'S MILITARY, BATTERED, ITS ECONOMY INCREASINGLY
ISOLATED. PUTIN NOW NEEDS CHINA MORE THAN
EVER. BUT, IN HIS PUBLIC COMMENTS,
THE CHINESE LEADER MADE NO MENTION OF UKRAINE.
THE WHITE HOUSE ARGUES, WHEN IT COMES TO THIS WAR, CHINESE
FRIENDSHIP DOES HAVE LIMITS. >> WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE CHINESE
DO ANYTHING OVERTLY TO SUPPORT THE EFFORT BY MR. PUTIN INSIDE
UKRAINE. CLEARLY, THEY HAVEN'T PUBLICLY
CONDEMNED IT, I THINK THE CHINESE AS THEY WATCH WHAT'S
BEEN GOING ON, HERE THEY RECOGNIZE HOW ISOLATED MOSCOW'S
FROM THE REST OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND
RECOGNIZE THE ECONOMIC COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES THAT THIS WAR
IS HAVING ON THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY.
>> THANKS, IN LARGE, PART TO THE ONGOING COVID LOCKDOWNS OF
ENTIRE CHINESE CITIES, THE CHINESE ECONOMY IS ALSO TAKING
A BEATING. SOMETHING SHE JINPING CAN'T
AFFORD TO IGNORE, AS HE PREPARES TO GRANT HIMSELF A
THIRD TERM IN OFFICE. THE CHINESE AND RUSSIAN NAVIES,
ARE CONDUCTING JOINT PATROLS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, BUT THESE
TYPES OF SHOWS OF FORCE, HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED BY THE FIERCE
RESISTANCE, DISPLAYED BY A MUCH SMALLER MILITARY, FIGHTING ON
THE BATTLEFIELDS OF UKRAINE. IVAN WATSON, CNN, HONG KONG.
AND LET'S BRING IN CNN'S BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF STEVEN
JIANG, LIVE THIS HOUR IN THE CHINESE CAPITAL.
STEVEN, IT'S JUST FASCINATING TO SEE VLADIMIR PUTIN THANK MR.
XI FOR CHINA'S POSITION ON UKRAINE, AND MR. XI NOT EVEN
MENTION IN UKRAINE. THAT'S RIGHT MICHAEL, AS I
MENTIONED, IT DOES SHOW SOME LIMITS IN THE SO-CALLED MOMENT
OF PARTNERSHIP AND ALSO SHOWS THIS IMBALANCE IN THIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH JOHN, INCREASINGLY CLEARLY BEING THE
GREATER POWER. THAT'S WHY WELL SHE MADE NO
MENTION OF UKRAINE, PUTIN DEFINITELY MENTIONED TAIWAN
WHICH IS CHINA'S MOST IMPORTANT SO-CALLED CORE INTERESTS AND A
SOURCE OF HIS GROWING TENSIONS WITH THE WEST.
ESPECIALLY THE U.S. AFTER THAT CONTROVERSIAL VISIT BY NANCY
PELOSI. SO PUTIN NOT ONLY PLEDGED
RUSHES CONTINUES PORT FOR CHINA'S CLAIM AND POSITION,
EVEN WENT OUT OF ITS WAY TO CONDEMN THE U.S. AND ITS ALLIES
FOR THEIR PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS AGAINST CHINA IN THIS REGARD.
AND IF YOU READ BETWEEN THE LINES, AND SHE JINPING ALSO
SAID HE'S WILLING TO WORK WITH PUTIN TO SHOW THE WORLD THE
RESPONSIBILITIES OF GREAT POWERS, IN TERMS OF INJECTING
STABILITY INTO A WORLD OF TURBULENCE.
AND THAT IS SEEN BY SOME AS A SUBTLE OR NOT EVEN SO SUBTLE
REPROACH OF ASHA, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY INVADING THEIR
NEIGHBORS NOT DOING THAT. THE UNCERTAINTY AND ECONOMIC
FALLOUT FROM THAT WAR, OF COURSE, HAS NOT BEEN GOOD FOR
THE ALREADY STRUGGLING CHINESE ECONOMY.
THAT'S WHY SHE JINPING IS VERY LIKELY GOING TO CONTINUE TO
STRADDLE, THAT, IS BROADLY SPEAKING --
HE'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO OFFER PRUDENT SUPPORT DIPLOMATICALLY
AND STRENGTHENING BILATERAL TIES.
BUT HE'S NOT GOING TO MAKE CHINA A SUBJECT OF WESTERN
SANCTIONS, BECAUSE CHINA OBVIOUSLY HAS A MUCH BIGGER
TRADING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WESTERN RUSSIA, AND ALSO THEY
CONTINUE TO ACCESS WESTERN MONEY AND MARKETS.
IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT FROM THE CHINESE RESPECTIVE,
THIS TRIP BY XI JINPING IS NOT JUST ABOUT A SIGN OF RUSSIAN
TIES, IT'S WHETHER THEY'RE TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT CHINA'S
GROWING INTEREST IN CLOUD IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN REGION, AND
MANY NATIONS THERE OBVIOUSLY, HAVE A VERY STRONG SUSPICION OF
PUTIN'S INTENTIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY.
THAT'S WHY YOU SEE IT HERE, THE REALLY PUTTING OUT A PROPAGANDA
BLITZ. HIS INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER
LEADERS IN THIS TRIP REALLY SHOWING HOW CHINA HAS OTHER
INTERESTS AND -- TO TAKE CARE OF AS WELL.
MICHAEL? >> ALL RIGHT STEVEN, APPRECIATE
THE UPDATES, STEVEN JIANG THERE IN BEIJING FOR US.