Chinese view on Ukrainian events: why support the actions of Russia in the Middle Kingdom
Back in late February, when the Crimean crisis was just beginning, an editorial of the Huangqiu Shibao newspaper caught my eye with arguments about how the Celestial Empire should treat what is happening in Ukraine.
On the one hand, the article said, Beijing traditionally adheres to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states (one of the five principles of the PRC's peaceful foreign policy). And he encourages everyone else to do so.
However, it was noted further, in order to follow this rule in relation to a particular country, including Ukraine, it must have these very internal affairs, that is, all decisions in the state must be made independently and sovereignly.
The meaning of the reasoning in the editorial of the Chinese edition boiled down to the following: it is one thing when it comes to a sovereign state, which, in accordance with its legal and constitutional procedures, determines how to live, what to do, in which direction to develop. In this case, any foreign interference is interference in internal affairs, an encroachment on sovereignty and independence.
But if the state, including its formal leadership, is under external influence and control (although the "state" in this case is a very conditional concept), then interference in the processes taking place in it (on its territory) is interference in affairs external forces controlling such a "state" (or its formal leadership).
In this regard, the editorial staff of "Huangqiu Shibao" asks the question: does Ukraine still have internal affairs, are decisions being made in Kiev? Or are they imposed (prompted) from the outside? And further: interference in "Ukrainian affairs" is interference in the internal affairs of the country or interference in the affairs of the West, which has settled in Ukraine? On this occasion, the material said that "the Ukrainian question has long gone beyond the internal affairs of any country, and Ukraine has long been an arena of struggle between the West and Russia."
“The right to interpret what exactly constitutes domestic politics has belonged to Western countries for many years. They themselves everywhere interfere in the affairs of other states, sometimes even recklessly abusing military forces. But when did they admit it? " - reminds the Chinese edition of the traditional Western hypocrisy and double standards.
By the way, the quite typical title of the article of the American The USA Today of March 21: How the West lost Crimea, "How the West lost Crimea." Not Ukraine, but the West!
Official Beijing has taken a diplomatic, carefully detached position: calls for a peaceful settlement, for resolving controversial issues at the negotiating table, etc.
At the same time, a much more definite position is outlined in the media controlled by the Chinese authorities. For example, the People's Daily says that the situation around Ukraine is "shrouded in the spirit of the Cold War." Russia, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, "made the West understand that there can be no winners in the Cold War." At the same time, the editorial notes, "the strategic rapprochement between Russia and China will become a bulwark of stability in the world."
The Chinese Global Times harshly criticized Western policy towards Ukraine and stated the "fiasco of the West." The project of creating a pro-Western regime in Kiev "failed and created chaos, which the West has neither the ability nor the wisdom to regulate." What position should China take in this situation? "We cannot disappoint Russia when it has to struggle with difficulties," the Global Times emphasizes, and at such a difficult moment for Moscow, "China must become a reliable strategic partner."
The columnist for the weekly Der Spiegel, commenting on such a loyal attitude of China to Russia's actions, notes that the front pages of Chinese state publications leave not the slightest doubt: "In the confrontation between Russia and the West, the most populous country in the world is on the side of the largest country." By the way, the author's material is accompanied by a poster of the 50s of the last century on the theme of Soviet-Chinese friendship.
Der Spiegel draws attention to the preparation of Moscow and Beijing for the formation of an alliance that can significantly change the balance of world forces. At present, the newspaper reminds, experts of the Russian Foreign Ministry are developing a draft agreement on "military-political cooperation" with the PRC. Although the specific details of the document are not yet known, this agreement "should go much further than the agreement on good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation signed by Putin in 2001." But this is about the future.
Currently, China can receive bonuses directly from the conflict between the West and Russia over Crimea.
The point is that earlier Moscow (in response to urgent requests from Washington) refused to supply China with a number of Russian weapons systems capable of significantly changing the balance of power in the Pacific Ocean. For example, recalls Der Spiegel, China has long wanted to acquire Project 949A nuclear submarines from the Russian Federation, which are equipped with cruise missiles and can destroy American aircraft carriers. Earlier, influential representatives of the Russian military-industrial complex lobbied for the removal of all restrictions on China. In light of the current circumstances, these calls can be supported by the Kremlin.
China is also interested in military cooperation with Ukraine. However, the latter's rapprochement with the West, especially with the prospect of joining NATO, will negatively affect the military-technical cooperation between Kiev and Beijing, or even put an end to it. “For this reason, China wants Ukraine to remain in the Russian zone of influence,” says Der Spiegel.
Thus, the situation with the sanctions that the West imposes on Russia in connection with its actions in Crimea (including threatening to reduce or completely terminate military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation) can be used to their advantage by the Chinese. On the contrary, the West (especially the USA) will get considerable problems.
We add that the events around Crimea in China are probably viewed through the prism of the Taiwan problem - in all its aspects, from their own military capabilities to the need to have strategic partners / allies capable of covering the rear and providing at least diplomatic support. In Beijing, after all, they probably expect sooner or later to read an article in some American edition under the heading How the West lost Taiwan.
Information