October 3, 2022
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Putin and Li Zhanshu
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Last week Russia announced the annexation of four occupied territories in Ukraine, sparking international condemnation, but China’s response was very vague, not criticizing Russia, saying only that “it has always maintained that sovereignty and the territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. “
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International relations scholars told the BBC that the Chinese government is trying to please both sides on the thorny issue of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Given current Sino-Russian relations, China will not stand up to publicly oppose the referendum. But this does not mean that China supports or recognizes the referendum.
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International condemnation and China’s response
After the so-called referendum, Russia announced last week that it would annex four regions of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye, which is widely condemned internationally.
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the Russian annexation decision “illegal and reprehensible”.
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The United States and Albania therefore prepared and presented a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council. The draft states that Russia considers four regions of Ukraine as its own sovereign territory, where it is illegal to hold so-called referendums in an attempt to change the internationally recognized Ukrainian border.
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The resolution called on all countries, international organizations and institutions not to recognize the declaration of annexation of Russia and called on Russia to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw” “all military forces” on Ukrainian territory.
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The draft was not approved due to Russia’s veto. It is worth noting that China, along with Brazil, India and other countries, abstained from the vote.
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Reuters quoted Zhang Jun, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, as saying that countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity should be maintained and that their legitimate security concerns should be taken seriously.
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For this annexation and the so-called referendum, China has not clearly condemned or criticized it.
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On September 28, at a press conference by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, a reporter asked: “Why hasn’t China condemned Russia more clearly? Will this send the wrong signal to separatists elsewhere, especially Taiwan?”
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin replied: “We have always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed, legitimate concerns for the security of all countries should be taken seriously, and everything is in favor of peaceful resolution of crises. All efforts should be supported. As a large responsible country, China has always been committed to promoting peace and talks, never staying to watch, neither add fuel to the fire, nor take advantage of the opportunity to profit “.
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“Face to Russia”
Zhu Zhiqun, a professor of international relations at Bucknell University in the United States, told BBC Chinese that the response from the Chinese foreign ministry indicated that China would not support the Russian-led referendum held in four locations in Ukraine, nor would it recognize the results of the referendum
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He believes China’s response is to reiterate its consistent stance.
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In Mariupol, Ukraine, homes are badly damaged
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“China is strongly opposed to the referendum, but given the importance of the current Sino-Russian relationship, China will not openly oppose to face Russia and Putin. But China has a bottom line and will not stand completely on the side. part of Russia, in particular the invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of parts of Ukraine through a referendum, “he said.
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In September, Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said on a visit to Russia: “The United States and NATO directly forced the doors of Russia, which involves the Russian national team. security and people’s lives. So, in this case, Russia will take. For some measures that should be taken, the Chinese side expresses its understanding and provides coping strategies under different aspects “.
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Li Zhanshu did not explain how China would “cooperate,” but this claim has attracted widespread attention from the outside world and is seen as Beijing’s most powerful statement of support for Moscow so far.
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“The Chinese government is trying to please both sides on the thorny issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war, so its attitude appears ambiguous. It only expresses its principled position, but it does not express its position on specific issues. Come on, China is. still substantially on the side of Russia. ”Zhu Zhiqun stressed.
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Taiwan and Ukraine
Furthermore, the Ukrainian question is often compared with the Taiwanese one. After Russia invaded Ukraine, “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow” continued to be a hot topic on the Internet.
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The referendum in the occupied areas of Ukraine is difficult to recognize by the international community.
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Wang Wenbin said that the Taiwan issue is entirely about China’s internal affairs, and is fundamentally different from the Ukrainian issue. The two are in no way comparable. Any attempt to use the Ukrainian question to insinuate and link the Taiwan issue is political manipulation. with ulterior motives.
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Zhu Zhiqun believes that the Taiwan question and the Ukrainian question are indeed different in terms of history and status and cannot be confused. A referendum is not the way to resolve issues on the Strait.
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He said that if there is a referendum, if both sides of the Strait participate at the same time, the Taiwan side will surely disagree. But if Taiwan holds its own referendum, it is an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and the United States will oppose it.
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