China approves of Russia’s interests in attack on Ukraine

In a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China’s position that it respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, but also said that Beijing would “at play in Ukraine”. complex and specific” historical questions, according to a readout published by state media in Beijing evening.

The readout did not provide a timing for the call, which occurred around midday Beijing time after the start of Russia’s military offensive, when missiles began raining down on military installations in Ukrainian territory.

According to the readout, Mr Lavrov told Mr Wang that Russia was “forced to take the necessary measures” to protect its rights after the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization broke a promise not to expand eastward. .

“China understands Russia’s legitimate concerns on security issues,” Mr Wang replied.

Reports of the call came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for restraint from all sides during a daily news briefing in Beijing. “What we are seeing today is not what we wanted to see,” she said.

Ms Hua described the situation in Ukraine as complicated and blamed the US primarily, criticizing Washington for sending weapons to Ukraine and promoting the possibility of war – a charge the US has denied.

“Those who have started the fire should consider how to put it out with concrete action instead of condemning others,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine has put China in trouble. Chinese leader Xi Jinping maintains close ties with Mr. Putin. Russia and China have increased military cooperation in recent years, driven by a shared skepticism of the US, but seen as supporting Mr. Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, with the US and Europe further opposed. risks, as well as undermining Beijing’s long-standing belief in the principles. Sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Senior Chinese officials have attempted to make a link between those two imperatives.

In a phone call with US counterpart Antony Blinken on Tuesday, Mr Wang announced a more neutral respect for the security concerns of all involved, including Ukraine. “The purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter must be upheld,” he said at the time.

Earlier this month, Mr Putin traveled to Beijing for a summit meeting with Xi to mark the start of the Winter Olympics, following which the two men issued a joint statement calling for the US-led world order and NATO’s eastern expansion. criticized.

According to people familiar with the matter, soon after the meeting of M/s Xi and Putin, China’s top leaders remained behind closed doors for several days to discuss the Ukraine crisis. Among their concerns, these people said, was the risk of financial and trade penalties imposed by Washington in response to any help that Beijing could extend to help Russia evade US sanctions.

Since then, Mr. Xi has said little publicly about the situation in Ukraine, telling French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call on 16 February that all sides should resolve the Ukraine crisis through dialogue.

China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, has been similarly reticent, making only brief remarks at an otherwise raucous emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday.

“We hope all concerned will remain calm and rational,” Mr. Zhang said.

A longtime analyst on China’s security affairs suggested that Beijing was trying to nurture its growing ties with Moscow, without completely isolating itself from the West – a strategy Russia adopted in 2014. occupied Crimea and invaded Georgia in 2008.

“China is going to play a neutral role as much as possible. They can wait for the dust to settle down and see what’s really happening,” said Professor Tai Ming Cheung from the University of California, San Diego.

Beijing’s reluctance to condemn Russia’s actions against Ukraine may have been motivated by hopes that Moscow would one day remain silent in the event of a possible Chinese military attack on Taiwan, the democratically governed island that Beijing sees as its territory. That is, says Derek Grossman, a defense analyst at RAND Corp., a Santa Monica, Calif.-based think tank.

“They look at spheres of influence, so what happens to Russia, as long as it repays the favor and gives China a free hand,” Mr. Grossman said.

In Taiwan, which has strengthened its ties with the US under President Tsai Ing-wen, officials have been much less ambiguous in their response to developments in Eastern Europe, preventing an increasingly vocal authoritarian neighbor with Ukraine. expressed sympathy for

“The current tension between Ukraine and Russia is due to the Russian side, which has unilaterally changed the status quo,” Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joan Ou said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Ms Tsai said she had ordered the island’s military to strengthen war preparedness, surveillance and warning systems in areas around the Taiwan Strait in response to developments in Ukraine. Ms Tsai and other officials also warned the public about the danger that “foreign forces” could exploit the Ukraine conflict to wage cognitive warfare and spread propaganda.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Ukraine urged its citizens to stay indoors in the event of a riot. The statement also advised long-distance drivers to ensure they can refuel and display the Chinese flag prominently on their vehicles.