Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with Ukraine’s foreign minister — at his invitation — this Tuesday (1st), in the first formal dialogue between the two countries since Russia started the war, in last week.
The conversation, according to official accounts from both diplomats, signals a change in tone in China’s approach to the conflict. Beijing is an ally of Moscow and has so far refrained from condemning the invasion at United Nations Security Council meetings.
In the call, there was no criticism by Wang of Russia’s military offensive or President Vladimir Putin. But the Chinese expressed some level of solidarity with his Kiev counterpart by saying he was “extremely concerned about the damage to civilians” in Ukraine.
In a statement, the Ukrainian government said Chancellor Dmitro Kuleba, in turn, had urged the Chinese to use ties with the Russian government to try to end the war. Kuleba reportedly received in response a promise that China would make “every effort” to resolve the conflict through diplomacy.
Wang again called for a dialogue-based solution, saying he supported international efforts for a political resolution. This echoes the position that Beijing said was expressed by leader Xi Jinping in conversation with Putin last week. The Chinese leader reportedly said that he “supports Russia and Ukraine to solve the problems through negotiations”.
According to the Chinese diplomacy statement, Kuleba passed on to Wang “the results of the first round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.” It can be inferred, however, that the Ukrainian did not have much to say in this regard. Representatives of Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky met in Belarus on Monday (28), but the table, which brought together important figures from both countries, ended without progress. The only consensus was on the need for a second meeting, which should take place this Wednesday (2), according to the Ukrainian press and Tass, the Russian news agency.
In a nod to Beijing, Kuleba reportedly said that “China played a constructive role” in favor of the goal of ending the war, described by the chancellor as Ukraine’s top priority.
From Wang, the representative of Kiev received solidarity. “China is deeply saddened to see the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and very concerned about the damage done to civilians,” the Chinese said, adding that Beijing’s stance on the crisis is “open, transparent and consistent.” “.
“We have always defended respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” Wang continued, amending the point he came closest to criticizing Russia — although he did not name it by name. “China has always believed that the security of one country should not be achieved at the expense of the security of other countries and that regional security cannot be achieved by expanding military blocs.”
For former diplomat Fausto Godoy, coordinator of the Center for the Study of Asian Civilizations at ESPM, the signs of the change in Chinese diplomatic posture have as a backdrop the relationship between the Xi Jinping regime and territories that are sensitive points in the country’s history. , such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.
In the case of Taiwan, for example, China considers the island a rebellious province, but an inalienable part of its territory. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means meddling by one country in the internal affairs of another through war. And all China doesn’t want is for that to happen to it,” says Godoy.
For him, as the conflict escalated, Beijing felt threatened. If he showed unconditional support for Russia, legitimizing the invasion, he would give rise to the understanding that his contested territories could also be invaded in the future.
In instances where it could in fact take more incisive actions to, if not put an end to the conflict, at least put pressure on it to end, China preferred to abstain. When the UN Security Council tried to pass a resolution condemning the war started by Putin, Beijing joined the United Arab Emirates and India in choosing not to speak out.
If Delhi did so, it is because it depends militarily on its relationship with Russia. Beijing, for its part, sees Moscow as a gigantic trading partner and its main ally against the geopolitical advances of the West – especially the US.
So, while nodding to Ukraine, the Chinese try not to offend the Russians. In January, Xi celebrated 30 years of ties with Kiev, hailing the “deepening of political mutual trust”. The Eastern European country is part of the New Silk Road, a mega-project that links the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe, crossing areas that were under the influence of the former Soviet Union.
On the other hand, when Russian forces, under Putin’s orders, invaded Ukraine, the formal response of Chinese diplomacy was that the offensive did not represent a violation of the sovereignty or the integrity of Ukrainian territory.
Instead, the chancellery spokesman described the scenario – which the West already called war – as the result of a “combination of factors”. Before, China already accused the US of being responsible for the crisis in Ukraine. For Beijing, Washington was “raising tensions, creating panic and even increasing the possibility of war”.
As the West reacted to Putin’s action, China rejected economic sanctions imposed on Moscow. In fact, trade relations between the two countries are one of Russia’s main bets to reduce the impact of retaliatory measures imposed by the West.
Meanwhile, China has started to withdraw its citizens from Ukraine. According to the Global Times, a newspaper linked to the Chinese Communist Party, the first wave of Chinese displaced by the conflict includes 200 students living in Kiev and 400 in Odessa, in the south of the country. They left in an escorted bus towards Moldova.
Also according to the newspaper, another thousand Chinese should be removed this Tuesday (1st) across the borders with Slovakia and Poland. In all, 6,000 Chinese registered at the embassy to leave the country.
