The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) proposal for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war has been met with skepticism from the international community as they question the regime’s neutrality. Experts say the regime is using the peace deal to divide the West. On the official website of the CCP’s foreign affairs ministry on Feb. 24, the CCP published “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis,” which included twelve points to call for the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine at the one-year anniversary of the war. The two top points were “Respecting the sovereignty of all countries” and “Abandoning the Cold War mentality.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his doubts on the CCP’s credibility, as they have not condemned Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also questioned China’s neutrality, as they have been supporting Russia. The United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution demanding Russia to end the war and withdraw its troops from Ukraine, which was approved by 141 votes, but China abstained. The United States and NATO also warned China not to provide arms to Russia.
Experts point out that China is using the ceasefire proposal to show the West that they have the influence to end the war, which the U.S.-led West has been unable to do. The purpose is to isolate the United States, as China is sending a message to other countries that they have the power to make a direct dialogue with Russia and bring peace between them. In the context of the increasing tension between China and the United States, China is using the peace deal as a weapon and a means of negotiation, as a leverage to blackmail the Western European countries to let go of sanctions against China and to have closer relations with them.
Michael Clarke, an Australian Defense Studies expert, shares a similar view of Beijing’s diplomatic maneuver, as he wrote in The Interpreter, “an over-estimation of European capitals’ desire to remain at arm’s length from deepening Sino-U.S. rivalry and an under-estimation of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on European security postures and perceptions.”
Fan Shih-Ping, a professor at the Department of East Asia, National Taiwan Normal University, noted that the CCP’s statement has no significance, as it speaks of empty words and general principles without proposing a specific plan. Edward Huang, a Taiwanese financial expert, also said that the statement blames the Russia-Ukraine War on the Western world to some extent, and its arguments are very similar to Russia’s, especially in its attacking the United States, which shows that the CCP is devoted to supporting Russia in this war.
China-Russia trade is expected to reach more than $200 billion this year, an increase from last year’s $185 billion.
Katabella Roberts, Ning Haizhong, Luo Ya, and Cheng Jing contributed to this report.