The Chinese President Xi Jinping left Moscow early Wednesday after two intensive days of meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. With the Moscow Kremlin’s grand ballroom as a backdrop, the two are pleased with themselves, and – it seems – with each other. They support each other’s view of the world as a whole, that the US and the aggressive West must be fought and enforced. And Xi is pushing for a “peace plan” for Ukraine, which Putin says contains a lot of good, “when the West and Kyiv are ready,” as he put it.

Now you have to take minutes of this meeting with at least a pinch of salt. Because when two of the world’s leading autocrats meet, we have to live with a proper representation of the world. After all, it is far more autocratic to make terrain fit the map than it is in a democracy. And if the field – that is, the people – begins to move, then the autocrats will have to acquire a new field – that is, the people. Because it is very important for autocrats that the terrain should match the map.

Warning: – Forced to react

And when it matters for example Ukraine, the map looks like this: China launched itself as a peace broker in Ukraine with its 12 point peace plan. The plan calls for dialogue, respect for the sovereign territory of all countries, and an end to all economic sanctions. Xi emphasized that he was providing himself as an impartial and balanced peace broker.

Then to the field: With the failed invasion attempt, Russia had encroached on Ukrainian territory in a major way. The aim of the war is to destroy Ukraine as a nation, for the real reason that those who live in the country are actually Russians, they themselves do not realize it. But China’s peace proposal makes no mention of Russia’s withdrawal from the territory it occupies, despite Putin’s unquestioned display of disrespect for Ukraine’s sovereign territory. So much for the map and the terrain.

The parting words caused an uproar

But there’s more. Xi Jinping called Putin a “good friend”. This is the truth with major modifications. Because it’s more about the comfort of friends. And for Putin, Xi is a much needed friend. The term “good friend” belongs more to adventure, in this case “map”, as we have defined it.

Because in fact Is Putin a guaranteed war criminal, someone hardly anyone would want as a “best friend.” Maybe not Xi, maybe there’s more talk of Putin as a friend of comfort. Putin is comfortable despite all his oddities, which have so far culminated in an invasion of Ukraine, which China also believes was a blunder.

Ideologically and a historic confrontation with the US and the West, which practically everyone saw coming, Xi needs Russia in his half of the court. Not because of the economy, which is as big as Spain or the Netherlands. And no longer because of military power, which is surprisingly far worse than anyone could have imagined. But for the most part geography – Russia, after all, is the world’s largest country awash with oil and gas – provides a good cover in a troubled world.

After Xi’s visit to Moscow we return to a new cold war. But it is only partially similar to the previous one. This Cold War contained elements of the West’s “containment” – entry – from its enemies, sanctions against Russia and trade restrictions on China. But where Putin is still fighting the old Cold War, to reclaim “lost” Soviet territory, Xi is fighting a new Cold War to seize US global dominance, and challenge the universal values ​​of the West, which we have tried to cling to ever since. french revolution. Xi and Putin have the same goals, but different motives

And this is how they look, two autocrats, together in Moscow. Xi is a commanding, confident man, while Putin is a stumbling, nervous host who doesn’t know what he can do for his powerful guest. There are no “best friends” in the yard. But it’s a ruler and his client who exchange polite lines in a love metaphor.