中文
By Imran Khalid
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow has attracted more global attention than U.S. President Joe Biden's glamorous "anniversary surprise" visit to Ukraine in the last week of February. The hysteric tone of Western media, which is trying to project this visit as some sort of discrete attempt to strengthen Putin's position in the Ukraine conflict, is not an unexpected trend given the fact that the U.S. and its allies have been desperately trying to implicate China in the Ukraine conflict.
China's successful mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia has pushed the U.S. on the back foot and there is clear panic that Beijing is also seriously working to find a negotiated peace between Kyiv and Moscow – a prospect that will seriously dent the American presumption as a self-assumed guarantor of global peace and stability.
The China-brokered Saudi Arabia-Iran agreement on the restoration of diplomatic relations has enhanced the credibility of China as a sincere peace-loving country with a foreign policy that revolves around dialogue and reconciliation as the main tools.
But there is a visible attempt by the U.S. to paint President Xi's visit in a different vein. The American camp fears that Beijing can effectively use its diplomatic clout to bring Ukraine and Russia together on the negotiating table. Last month's events have shown that China is sincerely working to find a negotiated solution to the Ukraine conflict that has dragged the whole world into a quagmire of unprecedented food security, energy crisis and skyrocketing inflation.
On February 24, the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China issued a position paper titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," systematically elaborating on China's stance in 12 points. This is perhaps the first such serious and comprehensive blueprint forwarded by any country to resolve this bloody conflict which is expected to become more dreadful in the coming days. President Xi has been advocating a peaceful and rational deal since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis.
China's position on the Ukrainian issue is one of "active neutrality," which reflects the demands of both Russia and Ukraine and addresses broader international issues such as nuclear war, food security, and global strategic stability. It is a highly condensed and specific document that fully recognizes the complexity and difficulty of the issue, and shows China's responsible attitude of not standing idly by, not fueling the fire, and opposing taking advantage of the situation.
Xi's state visit to Russia is expected to strengthen strategic mutual trust and promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and bring a sense of stability to the global power structure. The close personal friendship and frequent interactions between Xi and Putin have been subjected to close monitoring by Western capitals, who suspect that Xi is using backdoor diplomacy to find a breakthrough on the Ukraine conflict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on his arrival in Moscow, Russia, March 20, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]
Even, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's recent phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, during which he emphasized the need for peace talks, is being projected as China's attempt to establish a communication channel between Kyiv and Moscow.
What the Westerners are unable to see is the solid core of trust that has evolved between China and Russia in the last two decades. Promoting multi-polarity and democratization of international relations are the two fundamental elements that create strong bonds between the two sides.
Washington's unabated thrust to keep dividing the globe into blocs has provided ample opportunity to China and Russia to further deepen their cooperation and generate a momentum against divisiveness of the U.S.-led group. The robust complemental nature of the economic fabrics of both countries presents enormous potential for synergistic collaboration in a broad range of domains.
Strategic cooperation between China and Russia is expanding, serving as a novel form of major-country relations, envisioned by Xi to counter the U.S.-sponsored divisiveness of the global political spectrum. Ironically, the U.S. and the West are questioning and attacking China for its growing closeness with Russia on the one hand, while at the same time, they are expecting China to use its closeness to influence Russia to ease its stance on the Ukraine crisis. This is paradoxical.
President Xi has been advocating a peaceful and rational deal since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. He insists that a long-term war of attrition is not a sustainable solution for anyone. China's persistent endeavors to ameliorate the Ukraine crisis in its own unique way have engendered the expectation that it can play a positive role.
Given its capacity to serve as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine, China is among the select-few influential players with the ability to construct a channel of communication. This is particularly valuable as both sides in the dispute are currently mired in a stalemate.
Imran Khalid is a freelance columnist on international affairs.
