Opinion divided over Putin’s remarks about China’s acknowledgment of Ukraine’s concerns
It is also interpreted as a diplomatic rhetoric that expresses gratitude and sadness at the same time.
There appears to be a gap between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who have emphasized ‘unlimited friendship’.
This gap was slightly reflected in the China-Russia summit held on the occasion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that opened in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on the 15th.
This is because Putin said at the meeting that he “highly appreciates the balanced position of our Chinese friends on the Ukraine crisis.”
At first glance, this comment can be seen as an expression of gratitude for China’s balanced view of Russia’s position against the US and the European Union (EU), which condemn and impose sanctions on Ukraine’s invasion.
However, even though the Russian-Ukraine War, which started on February 24, has been nearly seven months, the nuance of this statement is not simple, given Russia’s position on the defensive.
Earlier, when President Putin visited Beijing three weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the two leaders promised that there could be no limit to their friendship through a meeting.
Since then, Xi and Putin have emphasized unlimited friendship at every opportunity.
In this light, China’s active support and support for the Russia-Ukraine war is appropriate.
However, considering the situation so far, China has taken a slightly different stance.
Therefore, there are also analyzes that President Putin’s remark that ‘acknowledging China’s concerns about Ukraine’ is a rhetoric (diplomatic rhetoric) expressing gratitude to China but also expressing sadness.
As a result, Xi did not publicly comment on Ukraine at the meeting.
In a closed-door meeting with Putin, Xi said only that China and Russia strongly support each other on issues at stake, state-run CCTV said.
It can be understood that China supports Russia’s position on the war in Ukraine, in which Russia’s core interests depend, but it cannot be called public support.
In fact, China’s position on the Ukraine issue is difficult.
In a situation where economic and security conflicts and confrontations between the US and China are on the rise, if China supports Russia, it could lead to a situation where it will have to face the EU, which has imposed sanctions on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Perhaps for this reason, there was no remarks made by President Xi with the United States in mind in the material presented by the Chinese side regarding the China-Russia summit, nor did he include the ‘opposition to sanctions’ mentioned at every opportunity in the context of the Ukraine war.
It is evident that Xi and the Chinese authorities are paying attention to Ukraine’s comments.
Archyde.com reported on the 16th that “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has been cautious, criticizing Western sanctions against Russia, but not supporting or supporting military operations.”
In this regard, Bloomberg reported that “China has avoided sending munitions or providing financial aid that could be the subject of economic sanctions imposed by China (such as the United States) on Russia.”
However, from Russia’s point of view, China’s support seems desperately needed.
The import of high-tech products has been blocked due to Western sanctions, and exports of crude oil, coal and gas, which are major export items, are also not smooth.
There are even foreign media reports that Russia has requested arms support from North Korea and Iran.
Russia can expect China’s unrestricted friendship in this situation, but China is also ‘my nose’.
In the midst of this, it can be said that the field in which the interests of China and Russia coincide with each other is the energy field.
First of all, for Russia, China can replace European countries, which are major energy importers.
China also desperately needs cheap Russian oil, coal, gas and electricity amid the economic downturn.
Accordingly, during the China-Russia talks, President Xi and President Putin agreed to expand trade in key areas such as energy.
/yunhap news