中文
By Imran Khalid
"I had a long and meaningful phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations," tweeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his phone call with President Xi on April 26.
For very plausible reasons, this long-awaited phone call has attracted more attention in the global media than the "planned surprise" visit to Kyiv by U.S. President Joe Biden on the anniversary of the Ukraine crisis. One basic difference between Biden's visit to Ukraine and Xi's phone call is the "intent": Biden went to Kyiv with a clear objective to fuel the crisis by pledging more material assistance to the Ukrainian forces, while Xi's call was meant for finding ways to start a reconciliation process between the two sides.
This is a fact that from day one, Beijing has been trying – directly and indirectly – to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy to resolve this issue on negotiating table. Over the past 15 months, the U.S. has consistently rebuffed all attempts to broker a negotiation between Ukraine and Russia, ostensibly in pursuit of its own narrow self-interest.
However, in the aftermath of the Pentagon leaks, a sudden shift in the dynamics of this crisis has emerged, which has had a palpable and demoralizing effect on Zelenskyy and his associates. A striking dichotomy is visible in the realm of Western perceptions regarding China. While on one hand, fabricated claims have been made regarding China's alleged weapon supply to Russia, on the other hand, there is a recognition that China is the only country that wields significant influence in both Kyiv and Moscow, and is therefore well positioned as the preeminent global power capable of facilitating a negotiated resolution to the Ukraine crisis.
In the phone call, President Xi aptly clarified China's position and snubbed his Western critics by saying that "China, as a responsible majority country," would "neither watch the fire from the other side nor add fuel to the fire, let alone take advantage of the crisis to profit."
This statement is a stark contrast compared to the constant American aid to Ukraine to further aggravate the crisis, which has directly helped in NATO's expansion in Northern Europe – Finland and Sweden – as well as resuscitate this moribund alliance from the brink of its organic demise.
On the pretext of the Ukraine crisis, Washington has been able to reactivate this dwindling organization to bolster its hegemonic designs in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. The leaks have exposed the true thinking of the U.S. and its allies, who believe that Ukraine, despite all the financial and military support from the West, is in no position to outcompete the Russian forces. This pessimism is now quite visible in the Western media as well as Zelenskyy's close circle.
This is a fact that Zelenskyy has long harbored a deep-seated faith in China's ability to serve as a trustworthy mediator in facilitating a judicious and equitable reconciliation process. But he was hesitant to approach Beijing in the early stages of the crisis under the extreme influence of the Western capitals who wanted to keep China out of "Europe's internal matter."
By 2019, China had emerged as Ukraine's preeminent trading partner, having assumed the mantle of the largest importer of the country's iron ore and barley. In turn, Ukraine had become China's leading corn supplier.
And Xi's sincere intentions are clear from the decision to send the special envoy on Eurasian affairs on a diplomatic mission to Ukraine and other nations to engage in in-depth communication with all relevant parties, with the aim of facilitating a political settlement to the ongoing crisis.
This latest development underscores China's commitment to constructive engagement in the Ukraine crisis and its dedication to promoting stability and peace in the region. The reality is that most of the European countries – including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – have been supportive of Beijing's role in the peace process.
A kind of fatigue has enveloped European thinking over the Ukraine crisis, but Washington is deliberately trying to keep the flame of crisis high in his attempt to expand the role of NATO in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. But Washington is fast losing support for its belligerent stance on this matter. President Xi's call is a well-timed stroke to extinguish the flames of the crisis in Ukraine. It is expected that soon we will witness the next round of the peace process there. China's peace initiative, which started with the release of a 12-point position paper on Ukraine in February, is now gaining momentum.
Imran Khalid is a freelance columnist on international affairs.
