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A military expert says China is walking a “very narrow path” in how it approaches Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and predicts it will be very difficult for the country to remain neutral in the conflict .
Since the beginning of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to wage war on Ukraine, Chinese officials have tried to appear to have sympathy for both sides and not take a hardline stance.
China’s Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xiangong told officials in Lviv on March 14 that the country has the “sovereign right of every nation.”
“We will always respect your state, we will develop relationships based on equality and mutual benefit. We will respect the path chosen by Ukrainians because this is the sovereign right of every nation,” Xiangong said, according to the Lviv regional government.
CHINA SAYS IT ‘SUPPORTS’ RUSSIA WITHIN UKRAINE INVASION AND SUPPORTS PUTIN’S CLAIMS HE IS READY FOR NEGOTIATIONS
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese President and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the CCP’s founding in Beijing, capital of China, in July, January 2021. (Ju Peng/ Xinhua via Getty Images)
Xiangong added that “we will act responsibly in the ‘situation’ Ukraine is facing.”
“In this situation that you are in now, we will act responsibly. We saw how great the unity of the Ukrainian people is, and that means their strength,” said Fan.
But weeks before Xiangong’s remarks in Liviv, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered his “support” to Putin as Russian troops launched their war against Ukraine.
Xi said it was important to reject a “Cold War mentality,” saying he took it “seriously and respected.”[s] the well-founded security concerns of all countries.”
Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said on March 13 that China would “absolutely” face consequences if it provided economic support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Seth Cropsey, founder and president of the Yorktown Institute, a former naval officer and former assistant undersecretary of the Navy, told Fox News Digital that China is walking a “very narrow path” that will continue to shrink.
“They walk a very narrow path and on either side of the chasm they walk a ridge with steep sides and the ridge gets narrower. And if the war goes on, it’ll be like a razor,” Cropsey said.
CHINA’S SUPPORT TO RUSSIAN INVASION IN UKRAINE HAS A BREAKING POINT: EXPERT
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Yerevan, Armenia. (Shutterstock)
He added that China is in an “uncomfortable position” and has no experience in international mediation.
Ultimately, Cropsey said if China took action to stop Russia’s war on Ukraine, it would create a “rift” between him and Russia, which is not in their interest.
“I think if China wanted Russia to stop that and take action, that would lead to what the Chinese don’t want and that’s a rift between them and the Russians,” Cropsey said. “So I think the prospect of China using its weight against Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine is slim.”
He also said that there is a big difference between the long-term goals of Russia and China that cannot be ignored when considering the Ukraine issue.
“It is absolutely clear that where Putin seeks revenge is this kind of solution to what he called the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, the end of the Soviet Union. That means restoring Russia’s borders to how they were when the Soviet Union existed,” Cropsey said. “But I think that China has a much broader ambition and that it’s not regional, it’s global. And those two, I think, that Chinese leaders understand very well will compete against each other, be it now or sometime in the future.”
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Burned-out cars after a night air raid in the village of Bushiv, 40 kilometers west of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
“But I think you cannot think meaningfully about this Ukraine issue without understanding the difference between Russia’s and China’s long-term goals,” he said.
Fox News’ Paul Best and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report