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The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has entered its 15th day with no progress in negotiations. This time, the dialogue was held in Turkey and brought together the high diplomacy of both nations: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Dmitro Kuleb.
Although it did not culminate in a peace agreement, the meeting sheds light on the role of other countries in mediating the conflict and with whom they are aligned. While some sides are clear in this chess, one important nation is making dubious and cautious nods: the China.
- Beijing preaches “maximum moderation” in the conflict and refuses to condemn Putin’s foray into the former Soviet nation;
- At the same time, it defends the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries. These principles guide its relationship with Taiwan, whose territory Beijing considers its own.
To explain the signs of China in relation to the war, we invited journalist Igor Patrick, who is in Beijing and writes on the blog China, terra do meio (and the weekly newsletter that you can subscribe to here).
How does the Chinese government react to the war? Occasionally, spokespersons for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs call for moderation and continuity in peace talks, taking the opportunity to accuse the United States of “add fuel to the fire”. China has also declared itself opposed to unilateral sanctions on Russia and is very unlikely to make any move to isolate Moscow at this point.
With a dubious attitude towards the conflict, the Chinese try to secure themselves as mediators between Russia and the West.
How is China’s relationship with Russia today? Currently, Xi Jinping’s relationship with Vladimir Putin is excellent. Their cooperation has been on a growing trend since at least 2015, and on the occasion of the Russian head of state’s visit to Beijing during the opening of the Winter Olympics in February, Xi went so far as to say that “there are no limits or prohibited topics in cooperation.” Sino-Russian”.
How does the Chinese media cover the event? Are there censorships of the term “war” as there was in Russia? There is no explicit censorship of the term war, although the press preferred to use “conflict in Ukraine” most of the time. The word “invasion”, however, is not used at any time.
All media outlets follow the editorial line of Xinhua, the state news agency controlled by the Communist Party.
In a leaked message, an editor at the agency wrote that journalists had been told to “support Russia with emotional and moral support, avoiding stepping on the toes of the United States and the European Union”, as “in the future, China will also will need Russia’s understanding and support as it struggles with America to resolve the Taiwan issue.”
More on the topic: columnist Tatiana Prazeres, who writes weekly in sheetanalyzes the risks for China of its position in relation to the war in Ukraine.
“Conflict in Ukraine may provoke geopolitical reconfiguration unfavorable to Beijing. The scenario changes if the country mediates”, he writes.
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