Late last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping finally called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and informed the world that his country “has always stood on the side of peace.” invasion by Russia the previous February, and Zelensky was eager for this engagement, especially after Xi’s visit to Moscow in March. Ukraine sees China as an important interlocutor it can engage with Russia and seems to have been encouraged by the “long and meaningful” phone call between the two leaders which in their view will “add a new dimension to the development of our bilateral relations”. will give a powerful impetus.” Last week, Ukraine’s finance minister also suggested that Kiev should use its bilateral ties with China as leverage to end Russia’s full-scale ties. Large-scale invasion, although he refused to accept China as an ally.
The Chinese president is reported as saying that China, “as a responsible majoritarian state,” “will neither watch the fire from the other side, nor add fuel to the fire, let alone exploit the crisis.” ” But there was no suggestion that Beijing would do anything meaningful going forward. The call and associated choreography had more to do with positioning China as a global power that is willing to engage in solving problems, as opposed to the US which continues to support Ukraine and prolong the war. causing more trouble.
China has already put its cards on the table when it comes to the Ukraine crisis. It issued a 12-point position paper on a political solution to the Ukraine crisis earlier this February. In an effort to present itself as a neutral peace broker, Beijing has propounded some standard principles, including respect for the sovereignty of all countries, resumption of peace talks, stabilizing industrial and supply chains, and dealing with unilateral sanctions. -Includes resistance to simultaneous use. of nuclear weapons. Taking this forward, China has decided to send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties in an effort to establish peace.
But beyond these principles, China’s credentials hardly support a greater role as peace-maker, as it has long refused to view its relations with Ukraine and Russia on an equal footing. Russia has shown no inclination to back down from its aggression and Ukraine is preparing to launch a massive counteroffensive against Russian forces in a bid to regain territory in the east and south that it has been fighting for for months. is preparing While Moscow has shown no signs of backing down, perhaps believing it has time and waiting for Western consent to support Ukraine, the Ukrainian military appears to have received weapons delivered by the West over the past few months. likely to give them the momentum needed to shape the realities of the battlefield in their favor.
China is also unlikely to be seen as an honest broker, given its ties with Russia which are becoming increasingly tight. And despite repeated statements that “the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld,” Beijing has refused to acknowledge violations of Ukrainian sovereignty not only by Russia, but also by Moscow. continues to privilege its partnership with Although Xi’s visit to Moscow in March did little to help Russia, it signaled to the West that the Sino-Russian pact could shape the global balance of power in ways that could be detrimental to Western interests.
More than anything else, the Chinese posture in the Ukraine conflict is targeting the West. In its position paper, Beijing talks about the need to abandon the “Cold War mentality” and argues that “the legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed, Clarifying that it largely agreed with Moscow’s point of view. It was the West that created the conditions for this war with the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). China has also been critical of Western sanctions on Russia, arguing that “relevant countries should stop imposing unilateral sanctions and abusing ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ against other countries, so as to do their part in mitigating the Ukraine crisis”. Can do.” Both of these issues are critical to the long-term trajectory of China’s role on the global stage amid deepening tensions with the US. For China, clearly, this crisis is more about itself than Russia.
As China comes out of its Covid-induced isolation, it seeks a stable international environment for sustained economic recovery. But it is also using the opportunity to emerge as a major global interlocutor by entering the diplomatic arena, taking advantage of the West’s recent introversion. The effort was exemplified by its effort to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia closer together in the highly volatile Middle East.
China’s attempt to emerge as a global peace-maker is about posing a diplomatic challenge to the US on the global stage. Beijing may not have much influence over the final outcome of the Ukraine crisis, but it is showing signs that it is no longer shying away from flaunting its growing diplomatic stature.
Harsh V. Pant is Professor of International Relations at King’s College London and Vice President of Studies at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
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