China trying to balance between Russia and the West on Ukraine: Report
Mar 04, 2022
Beijing [China], March 4 : Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China has found itself in a precarious position with its leaders attempting to maintain the growing ties with Moscow, while minimising any further fallout in the relationship with the Western countries, especially the US, said a news report on Tuesday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told senior European officials on February 25 that China "firmly advocates respecting and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries which equally applies to Ukraine". At the same time, Wang tempered his remarks, saying that, given five consecutive rounds of NATO's eastward expansion, "Russia's legitimate security demands should be taken seriously and properly addressed," France 24 reported.
"Beijing has been balancing its stance, but never losing sight of its own interests and principles in the process," said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, a postdoctoral fellow and EU-China expert.
China has tried to balance its position, by abstaining to vote in the security council resolution against Russia while on a phone call between Xi and Putin that same day, the Chinese president did not endorse the assault on Ukraine, but said that he supported "Russia and Ukraine resolving this problem through dialogue", the report quoted citing China's state media.
"China wants to preserve its ties with Moscow, abide by its principles and avoid harming relations with the United States and the European Union," the report quoted Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the US as saying.
He further said, "China wants stability in its region and beyond, to be able to ensure that it can gradually and without disruptions pursue its international goals. Seeing the level of democratic unity, Beijing finds itself in an increasingly awkward situation in which closer alignment with Russia could carry more risks than benefits," adding that a China that tolerates aggression would only damage its reputation in the eyes of the European Union (EU) countries.
At the same time, with the expanding scope of sanctions on Russia, the Chinese economy may be hit harder. The Ukraine crisis could add new problems as China imports grain, soybean and hi-tech equipment from the country.
