Putin's China friend sends confusing signals to West - 'don't think he's crossing that line'

Created: 03/19/2022Updated: 03/19/2022 08:33

By: Catherine Brown

China wants to work together with the USA for peace in Ukraine.

Is this the break with the Kremlin that everyone was hoping for?

In the end it's about the money.

Munich - The first small glimmer of hope comes from Beijing: Three weeks after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Chinese head of state Xi Jinping made clear statements to the United States.

Although he did not side with either Russia or Ukraine, he did side with peace.

"The crisis in Ukraine is something we don't want to see," Xi Jinping reportedly said in a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

The USA should work together with the People's Republic for peace.

And yet the guesswork about China's stance continues.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the pressure on Beijing has been increasing.

Both the US and European allies are demanding that Xi Jinping distance himself from Moscow.

So far, however, the signals from China have been contradictory: on the one hand, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the friendship with Russia "rock-solid" just last week.

But only a short time later the alliance seemed to be shaking.

Ukraine conflict: Russia's partner country China speaks of "war" for the first time

For the first time, China also spoke of a “war” – and no longer of a conflict.

China's ambassador to Washington, Quin Gang, recently said China did not "know about, approve of, or tacitly support" the "war."

Otherwise, "we would have done our best" to prevent it.

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping spoke on the phone on Friday (march 18) about the Ukraine crisis.

It was the first conversation since November 15, 2021 - that's when this picture was taken.

© ZUMA Wire/imago

Is that correct?

China expert Gudrun Wacker from the Foundation for Science and Politics is skeptical.

“On the one hand, Xi Jinping wants to uphold the principle of non-interference on the world political stage.

And on the other hand, there are very close ties with Russia.”

Ukraine war: Now the tone is changing in China - is the Asian superpower breaking with Putin?

For weeks, China refused to speak of an invasion or condemn Putin's actions.

But the tone is slowly changing.

Also on Chinese state television: Pictures of destroyed cities in Ukraine were shown for the first time.

There is also talk of dead people on the Russian side.

A change of course?

Gudrun Wacker warns against hasty conclusions.

The question of who to blame for the war in Ukraine still remains open, she says.

"And unfortunately I fear that China still sees NATO and the USA as the actual culprits."

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It was only at the Olympic Games shortly before Russia invaded that the Chinese head of state and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their friendship and described NATO and the USA as dangerous opponents.

"I think China will remain on Russia's side, at least rhetorically," says Wacker.

"But that doesn't mean that you're making yourself an ally of Putin." The United States had made it clear to China where the red line was: as soon as China supplied Russia with military equipment.

Ukraine war fuels speculation about China's role in the world

"I don't think China wants to cross that line and expose itself to further US and Western sanctions," explains Wacker.

Further economic restrictions would be particularly inconvenient for China: The state is currently recording the highest number of infections since the outbreak of the corona pandemic.

In several places, the economy is at a standstill due to lockdowns.

And energy prices are also rising in China – petrol is more expensive than it has been since 2006.

Is the weakened Russia still a strategically smart partner in this situation?

The phone call with Biden gives hope for China's rapprochement with the West.

However, Xi Jinping may also benefit geopolitically if Russia, the world's largest country, becomes isolated from the outside world and becomes dependent on China.

In any case, China is not yet on a cozy course with the USA.

Just before the phone call, Beijing sent another aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not want to see this as a provocation - even though the USA has committed itself to defending Taiwan.