As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is protracted, China claims that it does not take sides with either Russia or the West, but internally, it is argued that China is trying to strengthen relations with Russia, such as portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin as a ‘hero’. This appears to be due to concerns that, if public opinion critical of Russia grows in China, political control will weaken and adversely affect the confirmation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s long term (third term) scheduled for this fall.
Chinese documentary “Putin, a hero who revived Russia’s pride”
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 4th that “The Chinese Communist Party is holding an internal event where officials across the country watch and discuss a 101-minute historical documentary. is described as,” he said.
The documentary, produced last year, made no mention of the Ukraine war that began in February, according to the New York Times. However, it contains the argument that it is justified for Russia to be concerned about the movements of neighboring countries that have become independent from the former Soviet Union. In addition, it was evaluated that Putin restored the status of Stalin, who was evaluated as a ‘great wartime leader’ by winning World War II, and restored the patriotic pride of the Russian people. Analysts also added that Putin is cleaning up the political toxins that have ruined the Soviet Union.
This video describes the collapse of the Soviet Union as a lesson for China not to be seduced by Western liberalism, and follows the precedent of former Soviet Communist Party leader Mikhail Gorbachev, represented by ‘perestroika (reform)’ and ‘glasnost (openness)’. emphasizing that no.
In December last year, on the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, China said, “The collapse of the Soviet Union was not due to the socialist system, but because the Soviet Union betrayed socialism.” has been emphasized
The New York Times analyzed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is embracing Putin as a ‘comrade’ against Western domination by emphasizing the collapse of the Soviet Union. Sergei Radchenko, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University Graduate School of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University, told the New York Times, “All of this ideological education contains a message that no freedom of expression will be allowed. Because,” he said.
It is possible to interpret the growing concern that President Xi Jinping, who is facing chaos and slowing economic growth during the quarantine process against the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), may lose his political control, and that his long-term power may turn on red. Xi is expected to be confirmed for a third term at the 20th Party Congress scheduled for October. For this reason, maintaining the loyalty of party officials is critical, the New York Times reported.
Universities also educated ideology “because of the Ukrainian war in the West”
Injected thought education has also begun in Chinese universities. He was aware of the possibility that Chinese youths, who are interacting with foreign countries through social media, might criticize the Chinese government for being generous with Russia. Liu Zhuokui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (劉作奎), in a lecture to university students in eastern China, argued that “the war occurred because NATO pushed Russia’s survival space and moved eastward.” did.
The New York Times reported, “State-run media, such as the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, are continuously emphasizing the position of the Chinese leadership that ‘the culprits in the Ukraine crisis are the United States and NATO, which have weakened Russia’s security’.”
Beijing = Correspondent Ki-yong Kim [email protected]