After the Crimea crisis in 2014, the relationship between the United States, Europe and Russia was severely damaged, and Russia began to face up to its strategic interaction and cooperation with China; on February 24, 2022, when the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out, Russia, which has become a public enemy of the West, is increasingly “looking east” , Sino-Russian relations can be said to have reached the highest level in the past 20 years.
However, after the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (hereinafter referred to as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization) took place on September 15, the "China-Russia difference" became a hot topic in the Western media.
The key is that after the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin (also translated as Putin, Putin or Putin) and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a series of conversations and statements about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have given foreign media an interpretation. space.
Among them, The New York Times published an article "Russian Invasion of Ukraine Chinese Support for Putin's War Looks More Shaky After Summit" (Russian Invasion of Ukraine Chinese Support for Putin's War Looks More Shaky After Summit) , saying that "Beijing's support for Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian war may have been shaken", as evidenced by Putin's statement on the 15th, "We appreciate the balanced stance of our Chinese friends on the Ukraine crisis. We understand you on this issue. questions and concerns, and at today's meeting, we will of course also elaborate on our position on this issue - even though we have talked about it before."
The "New York Times" believes that Putin's remarks may be implicitly admitting that Beijing may not fully approve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; in addition, the "New York Times" also noted that China did not mention Ukraine in the post-meeting press release, and pointed out that this move It is also a sign of disagreement between the two sides.
Coincidentally, the Wall Street Journal also quoted the analysis of Craig Singleton, a senior China researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a US think tank, and a former US diplomat, on the 15th. "China also has reason to be concerned that Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine has seriously damaged China-Europe relations and China's relations with the whole of Central Asia , most countries oppose Putin's invasion (to Ukraine)"; the rest of the Western media even came to the conclusion that "China's policy toward Russia is changing."
In short, most Western media's claims about the "China-Russia differences" stem from Putin's so-called "understanding of China's questions and concerns on this issue" and the lack of "evidence" such as Ukraine in the Chinese statement.
However, a careful study of the reporting context and premise shows that no matter how the meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of state develops, it cannot stop the hype and exaggeration of the foreign media.
On September 15, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) during the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
(AP)
Presupposing the strategic intention of "China's aid to Russia"
First of all, the reason why the so-called "China-Russia difference" has become news is that since the outbreak of the war on February 24, most Western media have continued to create a public opinion atmosphere of "China supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine", and even after the SCO summit, "China-Russia" Disagreement" has become a shocking "shattering turning point", and the so-called "change in China's policy toward Russia" has also had a stage for dissemination.
But in all fairness, whether it is "China supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine", "China-Russia differences", or "changes in China's policy toward Russia", the essence is the West's mobilization and sniping of public opinion against China and Russia out of its own political agenda.
Among them, the so-called "China aids Russia" public opinion shaping is to make China the target of public criticism by amplifying the "specificity" of Beijing's position.
Looking at the global public opinion field, the number of countries that do not support the West and instead "support Ukraine and resist Russia" is actually quite considerable.
A small number of pro-Russian medium-sized countries, such as North Korea and Syria, explicitly support Russia's "just cause" and "correction of history", and openly recognize the two "republics" in Ukraine and East Asia; Non-Western countries take a middle-of-the-road approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict: they do not participate in substantial sanctions against Russia, they do not close their airspace to Russia, but they do not recognize the regimes of the two "republics" in the east and the west, and call on the two sides to negotiate. The same is true for China, but the international communication and public opinion treatment received by the two countries can be described as worlds apart.
In the face of China, the West has repeatedly criticized Beijing's "unwillingness to participate in sanctions against Russia", and even threatened that if China does not join, "it will also pay a heavy economic price", and used a large number of reports to attack China's oil and gas trade with Russia, portraying China as a Russia's only "lifeline" is a heinous crime; however, in the face of India, which also did not participate in sanctions against Russia, abstained from voting at the emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, and bought Russian oil in large quantities, the Western media's attack firepower is like "insufficient ammunition" , not only the thunder and rain is small, but there are many avoidance, let alone some European countries that face tough anti-Russian words and turn their heads to pay for Russian gas in ruble accounts.
On September 16, 2022, the heads of the SCO member states attended the meeting and took a group photo at the SCO Summit held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
From left in the picture are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kazakh President Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Zaparov, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Rahmon, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shah Baz Sharif.
(AP)
In the final analysis, the reason why China is shaped as Russia's "only blood alliance" and economic lifeline has little to do with its lack of participation in sanctions against Russia, but the identity label of "China", which has led to the widespread first archery in Western media. Draw the target again.
To put it more bluntly, in Western calculations, rendering China’s “aid to Russia” in the Russian-Ukrainian war can meet the following two strategic goals.
First, under the strategic framework of checking and balancing China, strengthen the encirclement of public opinion against China.
Looking at the Sino-US-Russian interaction in the past six months, even if the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war severely hampered the US-Russian relationship, the US’s strategic focus is still focused on China. In the US’s perception, Russia may be the main nuclear threat, but China can pose a systematic threat to itself. It is a challenging power, so even if the Russian-Ukrainian conflict attracts the strategic attention of the United States, it will not stop its containment of China.
Second, strengthen the "packaged" propaganda against China and Russia, and mobilize and consolidate the "liberal and democratic camp" through the "China-Russia Threat Theory".
Before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the United States had long exaggerated the "anti-Western axes" such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, and in speeches and reports on different occasions, implied that they were enemies of the "democratic world".
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, China's reluctance to participate in sanctions against Russia has undoubtedly added a lot of market to this propaganda.
In short, under the public opinion front arranged by the West, the Russian-Ukrainian war is just a situational background to boost the narrative, in order to add fuel to the "China threat theory" and "China-Russia threat theory".
On September 16, 2022, the Uzbek Presidential Press Office released a photo showing Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attending a meeting and talking at the SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
(AP)
'China-Russia Disagreement' Aims at Targeting Russia
As for the so-called "China-Russia differences" after the SCO summit, its essence is just like "China aids Russia".
In terms of political reality, both China and Russia are sovereign and independent countries, and their national interests cannot be completely aligned. The country has a tendency to "resist pressure together"; coupled with the U.S. entering and leaving the Middle East and Central Asia, the old local order has collapsed, and China and Russia on both sides of Europe and Asia have room for coordination.
But even so, China and Russia are still two independent state entities, and the Russian-Ukrainian war has indeed forced Russia to "look eastward" more; The Belt and Road Initiative is aligned with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
But facing the Ukrainian battlefield, China's position has been the same as that of most countries in the world from the very beginning: it does not participate in substantial sanctions against Russia, does not close its airspace to Russia, but does not recognize the regimes of the two "republics" in Ukraine and East, and calls on Russia and Ukraine to negotiate.
If this is the so-called "China-Russian difference" in the West, then this "difference" did not appear after the SCO summit, or even has nothing to do with the recent defeat of the Russian army, but has persisted since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
However, the reason why the West deliberately amplifies the "China-Russia differences" after the SCO summit is the same as the previous exaggeration of "China's aid to Russia": to shape an international propaganda front, but the target of this propaganda is not China, but is Russia.
Since September 10, the largest "Ukrainian advance to Russia retreat" since the conflict occurred on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield: In the face of the violent attack of the Ukrainian army, the Russian army had to withdraw from Kharkiv and shrink the front line, according to Ukrainian President Ze Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 13th that the Ukrainian army has recovered about 8,000 square kilometers of territory since September.
Although this change is still far from a "strategic turning point", Ukraine and the West have taken advantage of this propaganda and want to shape the trend of the Russian army's "defeat like a mountain" in the international public opinion field. The purpose is not only to dampen the morale of the Russian army. , but also intends to shake the Putin regime and draw salaries from the bottom of today's Russian elite group.
On September 16, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The three joined other participants. , walk into the venue together.
(AP)
In this atmosphere, China, which was portrayed by the West as Russia's "lifeline", began to change its roles, from being the axis of evil that "inserts a knife in both sides" for Russia, and suddenly became a cunning self-interested person who "breaks the alliance and breaks the contract" In order to satisfy the propaganda narrative of the so-called "Russian betrayal and separation" and "not even supported by China" in the West, it exaggerates the isolation and helplessness of the Putin regime.
In addition, in all fairness, the various public opinion manipulations by Russia on the eve of the SCO summit also strengthened the trend of "China aid Russia" in the early stage, and formed a contrast with "China-Russia differences". Can't wait to announce the SCO "Xi-Pu meeting" and announce that the two will talk about Ukraine and Taiwan issues during their meeting. The method is exactly the same as that of the West's "binding China and Russia", but the West intends to snipe China, and Russia wants to borrow more. This "strong momentum" is to overshadow the embarrassing setbacks in the Ukrainian battlefield, and at the same time, it does not rule out the intention to win China's support.
However, judging from the results, China still maintains its initial position after the outbreak of the war, and is willing to deepen strategic cooperation and exchanges with Russia, but it is still "doing something and not doing something" on the Ukraine issue.
Looking at the current international situation, China's position in Ukraine will not lead to a "countercurrent" in the trend of Sino-Russian relations.
As mentioned earlier, the key structure driving China and Russia closer is the macro-strategic oppression from the West. As long as the United States and NATO continue to “bleed” Russia through the Russian-Ukrainian war, unless the latter bleeds out and dies, it will have no interest in China. Favorable sentiment will remain at a stable high.
In other words, the "Sino-Russian differences" reflected by the Russian-Ukrainian war do not actually play a significant role in the recent visible international changes. Just like the "China aid to Russia" exaggerated by the West, it is actually just a microcosm of the position of most countries in the world. It is also well known, but its purpose is not to state the facts, but to shape the propaganda front.
In the short term, as long as there are no more successful reports of the Ukrainian army on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, "China aids Russia" will still be the main tone; if the Russian army reports another defeat, "China-Russia differences" will temporarily become the mainstream narrative.
In the final analysis, whether it is "China's aid to Russia" or "China-Russia differences", the various propaganda of the West are inexplicable and intended to justify themselves and serve politics; There is also an interlinked endogenous logic.
【Q&A on Sino-Russian differences】
Shaping the public opinion atmosphere of "China's aid to Russia", what are the goals of the West?
Strengthening the China threat theory and mobilizing allies through the threat of China and Russia
What is the goal of the West to shape the public opinion atmosphere of "China-Russia differences" after the SCO summit?
The trend of public opinion that the Russian army is defeated like a mountain and the Putin regime is isolated and helpless should be created
SCO Summit | Turkic Countries Hold Private Summit No country has the right to be the referee on the Taiwan issue. The SCO summit that the Russian army was frustrated with: If the United States cannot bring down Russia-China-Russia cooperation, it will not cap, cool the Sino-Indian border, and temporarily withdraw from IPEF trade negotiations: Does India intend to make a strategic turn on the eve of the SCO?