Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow and negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin put the Joe Biden administration in an uncomfortable position: Moscow and Beijing discuss peace deal in Ukraine, which Washington finds unacceptable Bloomberg. Sources of the publication at the White House believe that China can use it against the United States.
“The US is worried about being cornered by China’s proposal. Direct Deviation [мирного] The proposal could allow China to prove to other war-weary countries that Washington is not interested in peace.”
– One of the officials of the American administration told Bloomberg.
According to Bonnie Lin, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China may pressurize the fact that “the United States opposes the ceasefire and the end of the war in order to present the United States in a negative way.”
Chinese diplomacy
The Bloomberg article points out that the possible reputational cost to the United States due to China’s peace plan is one of the “troubling realities” that have surfaced since Xi’s visit to Moscow. Washington, for example, is concerned about the rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing and, in addition, the growing international influence of China.
“The Biden administration has been trying to keep China out of the business since the conflict in Ukraine began, but it seems the opposite has happened. Even as Xi and Putin draw closer, China is finding an audience open to its broader diplomatic advances around the world.
The article cites a March 22 Senate hearing in which Senator Jeff Merkley asked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to respond to what the Oregon Democrat called “a three-day celebration of fraternity in which Putin and Xi celebrate authoritarian rule.” Blinken acknowledged that the recent talks between Moscow and Beijing are a continuation of the “unlimited partnership” agreements reached before the special operation.
“This is not surprising – the worldview of both countries is very different from ours. “They can find a common reason for opposing the worldview that we and many other countries around the world are trying to defend and develop,” the Foreign Minister said.
It is noted that China’s increasing influence in the international arena has led to a decrease in dependence on the USA in some countries. Examples of such countries are India and Brazil, which “refuse to choose between China and the West, claiming that it does not want a new cold war,” and Honduras, which “initiated the process of abandoning diplomatic relations in favor of Taiwan.” economic ties with China.
The material clarifies that the situation regarding the change in the balance of influence between the USA and China, as well as the escalation of tensions between the two countries, is not only related to the Russian special operation. So, according to the authors of the material, it all started with former US President Donald Trump’s trade war against China. At the end of January 2023, the incident with the USA-China balloon had a negative impact.
US officials say that the harsh rhetoric against Beijing is effective. Public warnings by the US that China could provide deadly aid to Russia made the Xi government think twice about the idea.
The Biden administration has tried to get China to oppose the Ukraine conflict on US terms, but “Xi Jinping is now acting on his own terms, and I think that probably causes some dismay in the administration.”
said Christopher Johnson, head of China Strategies Group, a political risk advisory.
According to some analysts Bloomberg spoke to, China may have actually refused to improve relations with the United States due to Washington’s hawkish stance.
chinese plan
On February 24, Beijing released a 12-point plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Prior to official publication, key points of the plan were sent to Moscow and Kiev for review.
12 items of the Chinese plan:
— Respect for the sovereignty of all countries, observance of international law and the UN Charter;
– rejection of the Cold War mentality and adherence to the principle that “the security of one country should not be ensured at the expense of others”;
– Cessation of hostilities, prevention of escalation and support for the movement of Russia and Ukraine towards dialogue;
– The resumption of peace talks as the “only viable solution” to the conflict, China ready to play a “constructive role in this matter”;
– Resolving the humanitarian crisis, establishing humanitarian corridors for civilians, increasing humanitarian aid, supporting the UN as the coordinator of activities in this field;
– the protection of civilians and prisoners of war, including the creation of “favorable conditions” for exchange;
— Ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants;
– counter the threat of the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons;
— facilitating grain exports within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative;
– Ending unilateral sanctions that do not solve existing problems, but create new ones;
– Supporting the stability of production chains and supply chains, refusing to use the world economy for political purposes;
– By promoting post-conflict reconstruction, “China is ready to assist this effort and play a constructive role.”
Moscow and Kyiv about the Beijing plan
After negotiations with Xi Jinping on February 21, Putin said that many items of China’s Ukraine plan could be taken as the basis for a solution.
We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are compatible with Russia’s approaches and can be used as a basis for a peaceful solution when they are ready in the West and in Kiev,” the Russian state said.
However, “such a readiness so far” is not observed on the other side.
Ukrainian President Zelensky commented on the Chinese plan on February 24. According to him, China’s solution proposals are not an action plan, but Beijing’s thoughts on this issue.
“It seems to me that this was not a Chinese peace plan, a resolution or a declaration. It’s not infrastructure for anything. “It seems to me that China has shown its mind on this issue,” he said.
According to him, some points contradict Ukraine’s position, but there are also points where you can “work”. In general, he positively evaluated Beijing’s participation in the peace agreement.