New Chinese leader to visit Moscow first

The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has selected Moscow as his first foreign visit as President, to be followed immediately by a trip to South Africa for a summit of the group of leading emerging-market countries.

Mr Xi's journey to Russia has a special significance, analysts say, coming as China tries to answer the Obama administration's pivot to Asia. That US policy is viewed with suspicion in Beijing and is broadly interpreted unfavourably by the Chinese government as containment of China.

By going to Russia, Mr Xi will be working to ensure China's relationship with Moscow, a sometimes prickly affair and one in which the balance of power has dramatically tilted in favour of China, is in good shape before he meets President Barack Obama later in the year, analysts said.

There have also been indications that Mr Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will try to hammer out a long-sought energy deal that would provide China with Russian oil and gas.

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China wants to consolidate its position with Russia before dealing with the US, said Jin Canrong, associate dean at the School of International Studies at Renmin University.

In particular, he said, China will probably look for Russian support in its territorial dispute with Japan, a US ally, over islands in the East China Sea.

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