Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed 20 days before start Special military operation in Ukraine The possibility of taking “all possible measures in the event of an attack on Russian territory or actions that could lead to a humanitarian crisis” with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This statement was made by the newspaper’s anonymous addressees. Finance Times in Beijing.
According to one of them, “this was taken by the Chinese side as a sign that a limited military intervention is possible rather than a large-scale invasion.”
At the same time, five top Chinese officials in the past 9 months told the publication that Moscow has not announced its intention to launch a full-scale missile at Beijing. Military operation in Ukraine Before Putin gave the order.
The newspaper states that this view on the situation contradicts the impression created by the joint statement of China and Russia on February 4, 2022, after Xi Jinping and Putin’s meeting in Beijing. “Sino-Russian cooperation knows no borders, there are no forbidden zones,” he said. However, the transcript of the meeting between the two leaders was not made public.
According to the FT, diplomatically, China’s main goal is to improve relations with certain countries in the west after Beijing “feels uncomfortable in isolation at times”. The focus is on relations with Europe, which has been hit hard by China’s support for its partner Russia during Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Yu Jie, an expert at British think tank Chatham House, said he hopes Beijing does not rival every Western country and does not want to appear alone in multilateral forums.
While Xi Jinping and Putin pledged to deepen bilateral ties in December, several Chinese officials met privately with the Financial Times to clarify relations between Beijing and Moscow over the Ukraine issue. “The decision to invade was made by a very small group of people. China should not just follow Russia,” he said.
The starting point for Xi Jinping’s diplomatic “reset” is Beijing’s exaggeration of the benefits of its close relationship with Moscow.
Despite all the public statements about bilateral friendship, in private conversations, some Chinese officials express at least some distrust of Putin.
Evidence of Beijing’s misunderstanding, according to Chinese officials, is the demotion of Le Yucheng, who by June last year was China’s deputy foreign minister and the ministry’s chief expert on Russia.
“There has been a lot of talk about him in Chinese official circles, possibly as the next foreign minister. He currently serves as the vice president of the National Radio and Television Administration. Dropped by two ranks, found guilty of failing to intelligence about Russia’s plans, ”explained an FT source familiar with the situation.
Chinese diplomats seeking to restore China’s position in Europe privately claim that Beijing was unaware of Moscow’s intentions. Officials said Beijing’s main “trick” was to try to convince its European counterparts that it was willing to use its close relationship with Russia to deter Putin from using nuclear weapons.
Another aspect of Beijing’s strategy is to position itself not only as a potential peacekeeper, but also as a side in any effort to restore post-war Ukraine.
According to the newspaper, Xi Jinping tried to “present himself as a supporter of peace in his statements to Putin in late December”.
“The road to peace talks will not be smooth, but the possibility of peace will always exist until efforts are abandoned,” the Chinese leader said at the time.
According to him, China will continue to “adhere to an objective and fair position, work to unite the international community, and play a constructive role in the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis.”