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China-Russia relations: The fault lines

China is not too happy with the fact that post the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the US, EU and UK are building up a strong partnership.

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Amidst all the deliberations and the overall agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, the remarks of Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Summit drew attention. While Putin thanked China for its support and also praised the latter for its ‘balanced stand’ with regard to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian President also alluded to the fact that China had concerns with regard to the aggression and its ramifications. Putin also said that Russia was keen to address China’s concerns.

China has unequivocally backed Russia, against the west, and blamed the US for the Russia-Ukraine war. In April 2022, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson had said, “As the culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis, the US has led NATO to engage in five rounds of eastward expansion in the last two decades after 1999.”

Ever since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, China, while repeatedly referring to the US as lead ‘instigator’, has also stated that the US should stop playing ‘world police’. It would be pertinent to point out that China has benefited economically by purchasing oil at discounted prices from Russia (in August 2022, Russia’s imports of oil from China surged 28% year on year).

What are China’s concerns with regard to the Ukraine war?

At the same time, China is not too happy with the fact that post the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the US, EU and UK have worked together and are building up a strong partnership not just vis-à-vis Russia, but China as well. US President, Joe Biden who seemed shaky until a few months ago has adopted a far more aggressive stance even vis-à-vis China. In an interview to 60 Minutes, the US President said that in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, US troops would step in.

China, which faces multiple domestic challenges including an economic slowdown, also realises that the disruption and uncertainty caused by the Russia-Ukraine war is in no one’s interest. Chinese President Xi Jinping is supposed to have told Putin during their meeting that China is willing to work with Russia to ‘play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil’

Here it would be pertinent to point out that China, while not adhering to US sanctions against Russia, has broadly adhered to them. In an article in Barron’s, titled ‘China’s Xi to Putin: Our friendship has limits’, author Craig Mellow makes another important point that China has also not shown much interest in buying assets which major western energy companies like BP and Shell have divested in Russia.

India, which has been buying oil at discounted prices from Russia, over the past few months, also put forward its concerns with regard to the war. Indian PM, Narendra Modi during his meeting with Putin told the latter that now is not an era for war and that there were growing economic concerns as a result of the war which need to be addressed. Putin responded by saying that Russia understood India’s concerns.

US reactions to remarks at SCO Summit

While commenting on the apprehensions of Chinese President Xi Jinping and PM Modi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that this was a strong reiteration of the growing concern vis-à-vis the continuing conflict.

Conclusion

In conclusion, many would argue that Putin underestimated the response from Ukraine and his remarks at the SCO Summit are a recognition of the same. The recent Summit clearly shows that in spite of the numerous convergences between Russia and China, there are numerous fault lines as well and an ‘Anti-West’ sentiment is not a sufficient glue. Xi’s comments during his meetings with Putin clearly show that while China may have strained ties with the US and its allies as well as countries it shares friendly ties with it does not want to be seen as disrupting global stability and wants to be perceived as a responsible global player – even though it has become far more belligerent, and its expansionist tendencies are clearly evident, under the leadership of Xi Jinping.

In recent years, Russia and China have been seeking to exploit fault lines which exist between the US and many countries with which it shares friendly ties. It remains to be seen if the US and other countries are able to understand and underscore the divergences between China and Russia – especially with regard to the Russia-Ukraine war.

READ | After PM Modi’s advice to Putin, Russian envoy talks about ending Ukraine war; bats for India's seat at UNSC

The author is a New Delhi based Policy Analyst associated with OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA.)

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