China walks a fine line on Russia even after its invasion of Ukraine
Amy Qin
Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, sidestepped a question on Thursday about whether Russia’s attack on Ukraine violated the nation’s sovereignty. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
China’s government on Thursday sought to maintain its delicate balancing act on the Ukraine crisis, reiterating earlier calls for diplomacy even as Russia pressed forward with an attack on several areas of Ukraine.
A spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday declined at a regular news briefing to condemn Russia’s actions, saying that the background of the Ukraine issue was “very complicated.” The spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, did not describe the attack as an “invasion,” calling that term “preconceived wording.” And she sidestepped a question about whether the attack was a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
More than six hours after the attack began, the top article on the website of the official People’s Daily newspaper was about Inner Mongolia’s new commercial policy. And the website of the official Xinhua news agency led with an article about an upcoming meeting of China’s rubber-stamp Parliament. (Chinese social media, however, was ablaze with discussions about the conflict.)
China’s ambivalent position reflects the dilemma facing Beijing. On one hand, it has long enjoyed friendly relations with Ukraine and has held up the principle of noninterference in other countries’ affairs. There are also concerns about further alienating the European Union and aggravating an already tense relationship with the United States.
On the other hand, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, recently declared a partnership with “no limits” with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Both share in the belief that the United States is determined to hobble the ascent of their countries. And they have signaled a desire to see a world order in which Washington’s influence is far diminished.
The strengthened bond between China and Russia was on display on Thursday when news reports emerged that China’s customs agency had cleared the way for the import of wheat from all regions of Russia, instead of what had been only certain designated areas.
The move was part of a series of agreements signed by Mr. Putin during a recent trip to Beijing. For Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, China’s huge domestic economy offers a potential bulwark against Western sanctions.
The closer ties were also apparent in the instructions that China’s embassy in Ukraine issued to its citizens. Instead of urging people to evacuate, as other countries have done, the embassy told Chinese people on Thursday to stay at home and advised those traveling by car to display a Chinese flag in a prominent place on their vehicles.
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