Release of a document calling for peace talks, American accusations that Beijing wants to supply arms to Russia, talks with Moscow allies: Beijing is playing an increasing role in the Ukraine file as the Russia conflict enters its second year.
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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China has presented itself mainly as a neutral party, but maintains close ties with Moscow.
Chinese state-owned companies have been selling non-offensive drones and other equipment to both Russia and Ukraine, forcing Moscow to look for weapons in Tehran.
That could change, according to Washington, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said China was considering “deadly support for Russia.”
Beijing quickly dismissed these allegations, denying any intention of supplying arms to Russia and accusing the United States of “spreading false information” while “constantly sending weapons to the battlefield.”
The United States has not presented any concrete evidence that China is preparing to send arms to Russia, but experts told AFP the claim was credible and that Beijing’s entry into the conflict could be a “game changer”.
China has been urged by Westerners for a year to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Beijing, which has been trying to play a mediating role in the conflict for several weeks, last week unveiled a 12-point document opposing all recourse to nuclear weapons and calling for respect for all countries’ territorial sovereignty.
The document, released on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, calls on Russia and Ukraine to hold peace talks.
But although it was celebrated by the United Nations and Russia, it quickly came under fire from Ukraine’s allies. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg claimed China doesn’t have much credibility because it cannot condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund, told AFP the document was “largely a summary of Chinese statements over the past year”.
“Beijing still believes NATO is the cause of the war and refuses to condemn the Russian invasion. It’s old in almost new,” she said.
As Beijing tries to remain neutral, Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko this week.
The latter, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s few foreign allies, could be in Beijing to discuss the latest developments on the war in Ukraine and potentially influence China’s position on the issue.
Economic ties between Belarus and China had grown stronger until the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine disrupted the global economy.
The territory of Belarus was used by Russia as a base for the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Last September, Presidents Xi and Lukashenko met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where they officially declared that their countries were bound by an “iron” partnership.
On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed a desire to meet with Xi to discuss Chinese proposals to resolve the conflict.
He said he hopes China will not supply arms to Russia, assuring: “I want to believe that China will be on the side of a just world, that is, on our side.”
The Chinese foreign minister has yet to provide details on a possible meeting between the two parties, assuring that Beijing maintains “close communication” with the parties.
Mr Zelenskyy welcomed the 12-point document, as did the Russian Foreign Ministry, which said it shared Beijing’s views.
The Ukrainian president would likely use a meeting with his Chinese counterpart to encourage him to use his Russian ally to resolve the conflict.
But at this point China hasn’t shown any signs, Elizabeth Wishnick, a researcher at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University in New York, told AFP.
“On the contrary (President Xi) is considering a visit to Moscow and continues to repeat Russian propaganda about the United States’ responsibility to NATO for starting the conflict,” she added.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is a member of the UN Security Council, announced on Saturday that he would visit China “in early April” and urged Beijing to “help put pressure on Russia” to “stop aggression.” ‘ and ‘Make Peace’.
“It is very good that China is committed to peace,” said the French President.