Publication of a document calling for peace talks, American accusations that Beijing is about to deliver weapons to Russia, talks with Moscow allies: Beijing plays an increasing role in the Ukraine file as the Russian conflict -Ukrainian enters its second year.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China has presented itself mostly as a neutral party, while maintaining close ties with Moscow.
Chinese state-owned companies have sold non-offensive drones and other equipment to both Russia and Ukraine, forcing Moscow to look to Tehran for weapons.
According to Washington, that could change, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently saying that China “is considering providing lethal support to Russia.”
Beijing quickly dismissed these accusations, denying that it wanted to supply weapons to Russia and accusing the United States of “spreading false information” while “constantly sending weapons to the battlefield”.
The United States has not provided concrete evidence that China is preparing to send weapons to Russia, but experts told AFP that the claim is credible and that Beijing’s entry into the conflict could be a “game changer”.
China has been called upon by Westerners for a year to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Seeking to play a mediating role in the conflict for several weeks, Beijing last week unveiled a 12-point document rejecting any use of nuclear weapons and calling for respect for the territorial sovereignty of all countries.
Released on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, the document calls on Russia and Ukraine to hold peace talks.
But, although hailed by the United Nations and Russia, it quickly came under fire from Ukraine’s allies. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said “China doesn’t have a lot of credibility because it hasn’t been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund think tank, told AFP the document was “largely a summary of Chinese statements over the past year”.
“Beijing still believes that NATO is the cause of the war and refuses to condemn the Russian invasion. It’s old in almost new,” she said.
While Beijing seeks to be neutral, Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko this week.
The latter, among the few foreign allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, could discuss in Beijing the latest developments on the war in Ukraine and potentially influence the Chinese position on the issue.
Economic ties between Belarus and China had grown stronger until the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine disrupted the global economy.
The territory of Belarus was used by Russia as a base for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Last September, Presidents Xi and Lukashenko met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where they officially declared their countries bound by an “ironclad” partnership.
On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed a desire to meet with Xi to discuss Chinese proposals to resolve the conflict.
He said he hoped that China would not supply arms to Russia, assuring: “I want to believe that China will be on the side of a just world, that is to say on our side”.
The Chinese foreign minister has not yet provided details on a possible meeting between the two parties, assuring that Beijing maintains “close communication” with the parties.
Mr. Zelensky welcomed the 12-point document, as did the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said it shared Beijing’s views.
The Ukrainian president would probably take advantage of a meeting with his Chinese counterpart to encourage him to leverage his Russian ally with a view to resolving the conflict.
But at this stage, China has shown no sign of it, Elizabeth Wishnick, a researcher at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University in New York, told AFP.
“On the contrary, (President Xi) is planning a visit to Moscow and continues to repeat Russian propaganda about the responsibility of the United States of NATO in starting the conflict,” she added.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is a member of the UN Security Council, announced on Saturday that he would visit China “in early April”, calling on Beijing to “help put pressure on the Russia” in order to “stop aggression” and “build peace”.
“The fact that China is engaging in peace efforts is quite good,” welcomed the French president.
01/03/2023 12:55:23 – Beijing (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
