Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia: how China is trying to put itself back at the center of international negotiations

A “biased neutrality” about Ukraine

Since Russia invaded Ukrainian territory on February 24, 2022, China has preferred to play the card of neutrality, refusing strong condemnation and sanctions. On the first evening of the invasion, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a 12-point statement (in English), calling for respect for everyone’s national sovereignty, while demanding the abandonment of a ” cold war mentality”, which opposed the United States to the Soviet Union for more than forty years.

On February 21, Beijing presented its grand plan for peace, dubbed the “Comprehensive Security Initiative”, which includes only a vague mention of the Ukrainian conflict. The document indeed calls for “supporting the political settlement of hot spots, such as the Ukrainian crisis, through dialogue and negotiation”. Far from arms sales and military support, therefore, contrary to the United States and the European Union, for example.

“China has an obvious interest in presenting itself as a responsible power, which contributes to world stability”, analyzes the sinologist Antoine Bondaz, who believes that Beijing will not really play the mediator between Moscow and Kiev. “In the case of Ukraine, China remains in a biased neutrality, and implicitly supports Russia while avoiding condemning it”, argues this specialist in Chinese foreign policy.