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Putin and Li Zhanshu
Last week, Russia announced the annexation of four occupied territories in Ukraine, sparking international condemnation, but China’s response was very vague, not criticizing Russia, saying only that it “has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected.”
International relations scholars told the BBC that the Chinese government is trying to please both sides on the thorny issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Given the current Sino-Russian relations, China will not stand up to publicly oppose the referendum. But this does not mean that China supports or acknowledges the referendum.
International condemnation and China’s response
After the so-called referendum, Russia announced last week that it would annex four regions of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye, which was widely condemned internationally.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Russian annexation decision “illegal and reprehensible”.
The United States and Albania then prepared and submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council. The draft says Russia considers four regions of Ukraine as its own sovereign territory, where it is illegal to hold so-called referendums in an attempt to amend the internationally recognized Ukrainian border.
The resolution called on all countries, international organizations and institutions not to recognize Russia’s declaration of annexation, and called on Russia to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw” “all military forces” on Ukrainian territory.
The draft was not passed because of Russia’s veto. It is worth noting that China, along with Brazil, India and other countries, abstained from voting.
Archyde.com quoted Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, as saying that countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity should be maintained, and their legitimate security concerns should be taken seriously.
For this annexation and the so-called referendum, China has not clearly condemned or criticized it.
On September 28, at a press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a reporter asked, “Why hasn’t China condemned Russia more clearly? Will this send a wrong signal to separatists elsewhere, especially in Taiwan?”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded: “We have always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and everything is conducive to the peaceful resolution of crises. All efforts should be supported. As a responsible major country, China has always been committed to promoting peace and talks, never standing idly by, nor adding fuel to the fire, nor taking advantage of the opportunity to profit.”
“Face to Russia”
Zhu Zhiqun, a professor of international relations at Bucknell University in the United States, told the BBC Chinese that the response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated that China would not support the Russian-led referendum held in four places in Ukraine, nor would it recognize the referendum results.
He believes that China’s response is to reiterate its consistent position.
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In Mariupol, Ukraine, houses are badly damaged
“China is definitely opposed to the referendum, but given the importance of the current Sino-Russian relationship, China will not openly oppose it to give face to Russia and Putin. But China has a bottom line and will not completely stand on Russia’s side, especially the invasion Ukraine and annexation of parts of Ukraine through a referendum,” he said.
In September, Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said during a visit to Russia: “The United States and NATO have directly forced Russia’s doorstep, which involves Russia’s national security and people’s lives. So in this case, Russia will take For some measures that should be taken, the Chinese side expresses its understanding and provides coping strategies from different aspects.”
Li Zhanshu did not elaborate on how China would “cooperate”, but this statement has attracted widespread attention from the outside world and is seen as Beijing’s most powerful statement of support for Moscow so far.
“The Chinese government is trying to please both sides on the thorny issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war, so its attitude appears ambiguous. It only expresses its principled position, but does not express its position on specific issues. Come, China is still basically on the side of Russia.” Zhu Zhiqun pointed out.
Taiwan and Ukraine
In addition, the Ukraine issue is often compared with the Taiwan issue. After Russia invaded Ukraine, “Today’s Ukraine, Tomorrow’s Taiwan” continued to be a hot topic on the Internet.
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The referendum in the occupied areas of Ukraine is difficult to be recognized by the international community.
Wang Wenbin said that the Taiwan issue is entirely China’s internal affairs, and it is fundamentally different from the Ukraine issue. There is no comparison between the two. Any attempt to insinuate or link the Taiwan issue through the Ukraine issue is a political manipulation with ulterior motives.
Zhu Zhiqun believes that the Taiwan issue and the Ukrainian issue are indeed different in terms of history and status, and cannot be confused. A referendum is not the way to resolve cross-strait issues.
He said that if there is a referendum, if both sides of the strait participate at the same time, the Taiwan side will definitely not agree. But if Taiwan holds its own referendum, it is an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, and the United States will oppose it.
