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With the advance of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory, China avoided directly condemning Moscow and called for dialogue between the parties.
On Thursday afternoon (24), the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, refused to classify the attacks as an “invasion”. At the traditional daily press conference held with correspondents at the agency’s headquarters in Beijing, Hua said the historical context surrounding the dispute between Russia and Ukraine was “complex”.
She also ruled out any possibility of military cooperation with the Russians at this time. What Chunying said:
- “Sino-Russian relations are built on non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting third parties. They are fundamentally and qualitatively different from the US, which draws ideological lines, forms cliques and bloc politics, creating confrontation and division.”
- China is not interested in the Cold War ‘friend or foe’ mentality and the patchwork of such alliances and ‘cliques’. We have no intention of following that example.”
The Chinese embassy in Kiev released a note warning of bombings and military operations in some cities in the country. The post warned that the situation was “chaotic” and urged Chinese in Ukraine not to leave their homes.
On social media, several netizens asked the Chinese government to evacuate citizens in the country as soon as possible, especially Chinese students who are in Kiev.
why it matters: Russia and China have been strengthening cooperative ties for years, with Putin and Xi Jinping in power. The Russian president was one of the few heads of state to visit Beijing for the opening of the Olympic Games.
- Chinese do not participate in military alliances, and Beijing maintains good ties with Ukraine. He even celebrated 30 years of relations with the Ukrainians in January, when he called the country “consistent and reliable”.
- Without wishing to displease the Russians, the Chinese did not condemn the invasion and it is quite likely that they will try to secure themselves as mediators in the conflict.
what also matters
Covid has returned to terrorize residents of Wuhan, the city where the new coronavirus was first identified in 2019.
The recent outbreak started in a training session for employees of a multinational cosmetics company. The event took place from February 18 to 20, and 13 participants tested positive for the omicron variant of the disease.
The city has isolated the entire district where the event took place and has tested more than 700,000 people so far.
The biggest concern of local authorities is with the number of people who had already left the city by the time the positive tests appeared: of the 66 employees, 24 traveled soon after the event.
Infections linked to the outbreak in Wuhan have also been identified in Beijing, Qingdao and Shijiazhuang.
A Chinese influencer was fined more than US$10 million (R$ 50 million) after being accused of tax evasion. Ping Rong is famous on the internet for the commercial lives it presents on the local version of Kwai, a competitor of TikTok.
Canton Tax Service officials pointed out irregularities in the influencer’s income tax returns in 2019 and 2020. After the announcement, Kwai suspended the influencer’s account.
The fine is part of an ostensible campaign to hunt fraudsters among Chinese celebrities. Started in 2021, the task force urged potential offenders to confess to crimes and work to regularize the tax situation in exchange for discounts on fines and criminal exemptions.
The Hong Kong government has tightened restrictions on movement in the city and announced that it will invest billions of dollars in containing the latest wave of Covid-19.
About 4,400 hotel rooms have been locked down so that people who test positive can isolate themselves. Taxis and bus lines were also hired to transport infected people.
The local government has advanced the summer holidays to March and plans to turn schools and universities into testing and isolation centers.
All 7.4 million inhabitants will need to test themselves at least three times in the coming days. Access to bars, restaurants and gyms is prohibited indefinitely.
The leader of the local executive, Carrie Lam, announced the construction of a huge field hospital with help from the central government in Beijing. The movement is a response to the news of long lines for those seeking treatment for the disease in the last week.
keep an eye
The Taiwanese Air Force said on Thursday that it had sent fighter jets to monitor the activity of Chinese aircraft flying over its airspace. The island’s government said it had deployed missile defenses and was monitoring the situation in Ukraine, fearing that with international attention focused on eastern Europe, Beijing would launch a sneak attack on the island.
why it matters: Chinese incursions into Taiwanese air and maritime space are nothing new and have become more commonplace since 2020. These actions are unlikely to signal an actual Chinese military operation. Beijing always says it reserves the right to reconquer the island, but a forceful action would only take place in the event of a unilateral declaration of independence.
to go deep
- After the advance of Russian troops in Ukraine, the world wondered if China would follow suit with Taiwan. In an opinion piece, The Atlantic assesses how credible a military assault on the island would be. (porous paywall, in English)
- The Center for Advanced Research on China has released a long report in which it analyzes the most striking facts in the centenary year of the Communist Party and the prospects for 2022. (free, in English)
- SupChina has opened registration for the Women’s Conference, the platform’s traditional annual event with women relevant to sinology. Katherine Tai, responsible for US trade strategy with Beijing, is one of the names already confirmed. (free and paid tickets, in English)
