'They will take it back!' China 'readying land grab' on Russia as Xi turns on Putin
An expert warned that China is preparing for an opportunity to take back the territory, adding: "The minute there is weakness, they will move."
China is waiting for the Russian Federation to collapse so it can seize a slice of land taken from it by Russia 200 years ago, it has been claimed.
Beijing has been a crucial supporter of Vladimir Putin since he invaded Ukraine and was essentially cut off from the Western world due to sanctions.
But Canadian journalist and author Diane Francis believes that China is also preparing to take back a slice of land in the far east of Russia.
Speaking to Times Radio, she explained how the war in Ukraine may have just Beijing-Moscow relations.
She said: "China was put in a terrible position. They had an Olympics they were proud of in 2022, and Putin went there and got Xi to sign a partnership agreement without telling him that three days later he was going to genocidally invade his neighboring country.
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"He never told Xi. This was hugely embarrassing."
Ms Francis believes the Russian Federation will collapse after the war in Ukraine, allowing China to reclaim land previously under its jurisdiction.
She added: "China is very much involved in what happens to Russia after this is over. Many of us speculate that once the centre doesn't hold and they lose the war, whoever replaces Putin is not going to be able to hold on to 11 timezones of nation.
"It is just too big a country. At the far-east edge is Manchuria, which was stolen from China over 100 years ago. They want Manchuria back, and they are going to get it.
"The minute there is weakness, they will move. Not necessarily with troops but they will move politically to seize control of it."
Russia invaded Manchuria in 1900 after the after the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895.
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This week, Putin announced plans to visit China in May. His announcement came while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in the country to meet President Xi.
According to a recent U.S. assessment, China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics, and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in the conflict.
China has repeatedly said it isn’t providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although it has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow.
