00:00Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they meet in Beijing,
00:08both leaders praising the close ties between their countries.
00:11As talks wrapped up, they released a lengthy joint statement that tackled a wide range of issues, including Taiwan.
00:19The statement said Russia acknowledges that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory
00:24and firmly opposes any form of Taiwan independence.
00:28It also said Russia supports the measures taken by China to safeguard its territory and opposes any outside interference.
00:36The words come as no surprise.
00:39Joint statements from Russia and China in the past have included similar language on Taiwan.
00:44Each time, Taipei denounces these statements, maintaining that neither side of the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other
00:51and emphasizing that the People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan.
00:55So why do joint statements from China and Russia commonly touch on Taiwan?
01:02Most analysts say Moscow doesn't have a strong stake in this issue itself.
01:06It stands with China on this primarily because it's something Beijing cares a lot about
01:11and Russia wants to maintain good relations.
01:14It's something Beijing's story about
01:15It must have been a close connection to China.
01:18It must have to be close contact with China.
01:18We can see thatкра's problem is because of the cause of the French war.
01:22The Soviet Union is a Jerusalem and the enemy's country's enemy.
01:36So, it doesn't have to be a close contact with China.
01:43And there's not much for Moscow to lose.
01:46I mean, basically, Russia has no real stake in Taiwan.
01:51So, you know, it's an easy, for them, it's an easy trade to make.
01:55If by saying the right things, pleasing Beijing, they get some benefits at little to no cost to themselves.
02:03Analysts say not supporting China's claim to Taiwan would also make Moscow seem inconsistent,
02:08as it has many similarities to its own position on Ukraine.
02:12In a potential conflict over Taiwan, some analysts say China could also seek Russia's help.
02:18One aspect is oil.
02:20Russia already accounts for around 20% of China's imported oil.
02:25And China might need even more in the event of war.
02:39Other experts say China also values Russian expertise in areas like technology and combat experience.
02:46If you actually look at the planes, and if you actually look at many of the ships, this is Russian
02:51technology.
02:52Russia continues to have certain pockets of excellence that the PRC covers.
02:57And those pockets of excellence, technological excellence, provide the PRC with a means to persecute any conflict, any escalation.
03:10Moreover, I think we've been also looking at this sharing of combat experience.
03:15PRC's troops don't have combat experience.
03:17Russian troops now do.
03:18And that experience is useful for thinking through logistics, planning, and tactics, and so on and so forth.
03:26But other analysts are skeptical.
03:28They say China's strong enough that it doesn't need Russia's help.
03:31And Russia is not likely to provide anything substantial, given its losses from the war in Ukraine.
04:05For now, China and Russia have made clear they stand together on certain core interests, including Taiwan.
04:12Presenting an image of unity and a strong strategic partnership.
04:16John Su and Keynes Coranta for Taiwan Plus.
04:18Thank you very much.
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