A rare interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave on American television last week was a subtle signal to his United States counterpart Joe Biden not to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing, observers said.

Putin’s description of ties with China, as being at an “unprecedentedly high level,” came across as an attempt to implicitly warn off Biden as he knew the reason behind their meeting this week was to destroy Russian-Chinese ties, Deng Yuwen, an independent political commentator and international relations scholar, told Apple Daily.

The two leaders are heading into the high-stakes summit, to be held on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, soon after Biden’s talks with other G7 member states and at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Before the summit with Biden, Putin granted an interview last Friday with the U.S. television network NBC, saying that he cherished and was pleased with the relationship, which had evolved over the last few decades. China was Russia’s strategic partner and not a threat, he said.

He hailed “a high level of trust and cooperation in all areas” between Russia and China over politics, the economy, technology and the military.

“We do not believe that China is a threat to us. China is a friendly nation. It has not declared us an enemy as the United States has done,” he told NBC in Moscow.

Putin’s statement revealed that China was the closest ally of Russia, Hui Ching, research director at the think tank Hong Kong Zhi Ming Institute, told Apple Daily.

The two countries had differences in their strategies and were not directly in competition, Hui said. He pointed out that China’s focus was on the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, while Russia placed emphasis on eastern Europe and areas around the Baltic Sea.

China’s increased military strength could also ease some pressure that Russia had been facing from European countries in relation to NATO, Hui said.

Furthermore, Russia could also benefit from arm sales to India if war broke out between the Indians and the Chinese, he said.

Deng, the political commentator, saw Russian-Chinese cooperation as a matter of practical interest, as Moscow could be the next target if the Washington government successfully contained Beijing. He also noted how the Soviets’ ties with China were even closer during the reign of late Chairman Mao Zedong.

In the NBC interview, Putin defended China against allegations of ill-treating Uygurs in Xinjiang.

The Russian president said that Uygurs whom he had met on trips to China welcomed the policies of the authorities. He believed that China could find a solution to deal with the problem and ensure the country’s stability.

Putin declined to comment on the possibility of a war in the Taiwan Strait.

Hui said that although both China and Russia were facing criticism for their human rights problems, the effects on these governments would be limited. Competition among big countries should be focused on technology, trade, financial sanctions or the number of military bases, he said.

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