China plans to refocus its foreign policy to distance itself from Russia amid fears of a decline in Moscow’s economy and political power following its disastrous operation in Ukraine. The disclosure to the Financial Times came from multiple sources in Beijing. Although Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties at their last meeting in December, distrust of the Russian president is growing among Communist Party political leaders. “The decision to invade was made by a small group of people. China cannot simply follow Russia. Putin is crazy,” a Chinese official explained.
At their Feb. 4 meeting last year, according to interviews collected by the British newspaper, Putin reportedly told Xi that Russia “does not rule out taking all possible measures if separatists from eastern Ukraine attack Russian territory and… cause humanitarian catastrophes”. Beijing’s intelligence inability to predict the invasion led to the firing of then-deputy foreign minister and top Russia expert Le Yucheng. The Chinese are convinced that the Kremlin’s goals in Ukraine will not be achieved and that Russia will emerge from the war in Ukraine with broken bones as a “minor power”. In the short term, however, Beijing has much to gain from its partner, seeing its proximity to Putin as a useful negotiating tool for its ties with Europe. Moreover, Beijing is already licking its lips as it awaits the lucrative deals for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
