China’s second point was to condemn the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West. (file)
Beijing:
Geopolitica reports that China is taking full advantage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis to warn the United States of its dangers – a classic example of “killing a chicken to scare a monkey”.
From blaming NATO expansion for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by China, to blaming Ukraine’s desire to join NATO for jeopardizing Russian security or denouncing anti-Russian sanctions imposed when the war broke out. As of now, Beijing’s intention is only to threaten the US amid the ongoing power struggle, Geopolitica reported.
This becomes more apparent when one looks closer at Beijing launching a diplomatic push in unlikely circles. Much of the West’s condemnation of China comes when Beijing finds itself in the midst of a major strategic problem.
An interesting point was made by Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It identifies three main objectives of China in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
First is China’s strategic partnership with Russia. The second is to show its commitment to the long-standing foreign policy principles of “territoriality” and “non-intervention” and last but not least China’s willingness to reduce collateral damage from EU and US sanctions , Geopolitica reported.
Since the war began on February 24, Beijing officials have been doing extensive globetrotting. From February 24 to May 19, Beijing held 64 diplomatic talks with international allies to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
However, it should be noted that this diplomatic effort is divided into two sections.
The first phase focuses on Western countries to manage the impact of policy outcomes and the second is China’s move to focus on poorer countries.
For example, on March 15, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Politburo member Yang Jiechi and reiterated the United States’ commitment to a joint NATO. After the Sullivan-Yang meeting on March 15, China’s diplomatic campaign shifted its focus to poorer countries.
Whether it was a visit to the West or poor countries, Beijing aimed at three key messages that condemned NATO’s “responsibility” for the conflict, the need for peace talks, and opposition to Western sanctions.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba that “the security of one country should not be achieved by harming another, and regional security should not be secured through military bloc expansion.”
Wang said in a meeting with Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan that “Ukraine should be a bridge between East and West rather than a pawn in a major power struggle.”
China’s second point was its condemnation of anti-Russian sanctions imposed at the outbreak of the war. Western countries responded to the Russian invasion simultaneously.
Following the invasion, several Western countries – the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries – imposed sanctions on Russian financial institutions and major oligarchs affiliated with the Putin government.
After the League – the European Union imposed fines on Russian authorities, financial institutions and exports.
West used his trump card on February 26. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Italy announced a concerted campaign to withdraw.
Russian bank from SWIFT financial messaging system. As Geopolitica reports, the European Union on March 2 pledged to remove seven important Russian organizations from SWIFT by March 12.
China began delivering anti-sanctions messages during diplomatic encounters and reiterated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pursuit of Western sanctions to disrupt international law and escalate tensions.
Xi said the international community should “advocate full dialogue,” a veiled criticism of Western countries that promote simultaneous dialogue and offer military aid to Ukraine.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)