China’s balance regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been clarified

What is behind China’s position on Russia and the war in Ukraine?

The President of China, Xi Jinping, he said on March 8 that he “felt pain”.” to see how “the flames of war were rekindled in Europe.” However, China is reserved in criticizing Russia.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 28, 2022 described China as one of Russia’s key remaining friendsand Moscow will hope that Beijing will proceed to supply rhetorical and substantive assistance.

Beijing shall be sensitive to Western attempts increase tension in the relationshipand Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently described associations with Moscow as “rock solid”. He added that China and Russia “will always maintain strategic focus and steadily advance our comprehensive strategic coordination partnership for a new era.”

China has fastidiously ensured that its own media stays pro-Russian and even reposted fake ones Russian state media reports.

However, the invasion of Ukraine is problematic for Beijing. It is unclear what economic aid China might provide to Russia. And the Chinese government is not going to put the country’s own financial interests in danger threatened in any significant solution to help Russia avoid sanctions.

Meanwhile, China can also be in search of to take care of its popularity as a responsible stakeholder and protect its economic, trade and political ties with Europe. Xi is at the heart of this met along with his German and French counterparts on March 8, 2022 to debate a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine.

Beijing’s balancing act – visible in its decision to abstain from voting from the UN Security Council’s vote condemning the invasion – will change into increasingly difficult as the fighting drags on, especially as the Russian army resorts to much more brutal methods and the Russian economy continues to deteriorate.

What was Beijing’s response to the sanctions imposed on Russia?

Beijing has was critical of Western sanctions against Russia, and definitely doesn’t want an entire collapse of the Russian economy. Such an consequence could contribute to instability in a neighboring country that Beijing considers a vital strategic partner.

However, to this point China has been in no hurry to supply economic support to the Russian Federation. China may be very at risk of secondary sanctions – penalties imposed on institutions linked to the country as part of primary sanctions – and it’s price noting that some Chinese financial institutions have begun they distance themselves from the Russian economy.

Meanwhile, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a development bank established by China and through which it holds 27% of the votes, stopped operations in Belarus and Russia in protest against the invasion of Ukraine.

Time will tell whether China will use creative, less visible methods to assist the Russian economy in a way that will not expose its larger institutions to the risk of being accused of violating sanctions.

Beijing can also be more likely to draw conclusions about its potential vulnerability to sanctions should China, like Russia, ever provoke large-scale economic penalties from the West.

What role does anti-Western sentiment play in China-Russia relations?

Russia and China survived a long time of rivalry and hostility throughout much of the Cold War. But rapprochement, which has been a long time in the making, has gained momentum in recent times, partly based on opposition to the West.

The governments of each countries have similarly negative views about America’s role in Europe and Asia. They also share A aversion to Western democracy and the desire to influence global public opinion more favorable towards autocracy.

But Washington just isn’t the only factor that unites them. In the first decade of the twenty first century, Russia and China finally completely resolved the long-standing territorial dispute over their common border. Both countries are also trading partners: Russia sells weapons, gas and oil to China, and China supplies investment and consumer goods.

Close ties have been reflected at the highest level, with Putin and Xi developing a private relationship that they’re desperate to showcase to the world. In July 2021, Wang, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, described the relations between Moscow and Beijing like every part except alliance, but in addition higher than alliance. And then, in February, Xi and Putin signed a joint declaration presenting common positions on a number of issues.

How significant was this statement, made just before the invasion?

The moment of the joint declaration fell on the eve of the Beijing Olympics, and Putin’s presence at the event contrasted sharply with the absence of Western leaders, many of whom announced a diplomatic boycott.

The document was signed at the height of pre-war tensions around Ukraine and contained statements criticizing the American system of alliances each in Europe and Asia. This specially outlined the two countries’ shared opposition to any “further expansion of NATO”.

There was also some suggestion in Western media that the Chinese were warned against getting into a pact on a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Details of Putin and Xi’s conversation about Ukraine in Beijing usually are not fully known, but the joint statement actually gave Western observers reason to consider that China’s behavior could have helped enable Russian aggression.

Can China play a task in ending the war?

China got here up with an idea play some mediating role, but what exactly this might mean stays unclear. Beijing is widely perceived in the West as too pro-Russian and has no experience in playing such a task in Europe.

There is actually hope that China will put pressure on Russia to finish the conflict. This was announced in March by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba received assurances that “China is interested in stopping this war,” adding: “Chinese diplomacy has enough tools to make a difference and we count on it already being involved.”

Western policymakers have signaled to China that Beijing will bear costs whether it is seen as an enabler of Russia’s continued aggression. And Putin could also be sensitive to any change in Xi’s position. However, China lacks the will and talent to force Russia to back down completely. Both sides have reason to attempt to resolve any tensions that will currently exist.

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