China’s impossible diplomatic mission between the US, the EU, Russia and Ukraine
China’s envoy Wang Yi is in Europe. Scepticism surrounds Xi Jinping's announced "peace plan" to end the crisis in Ukraine. Beijing is ambiguous about the principle of territorial integrity. For China, unilateral sanctions are more counterproductive than armed invasions by one’s friends “without limits” in disputes between states.
Rome (AsiaNews) – Wang Yi, head of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission and member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, is currently in Europe on an impossible diplomatic mission, namely repairing ties with the European Union while trying to reset relations with the United States on an even keel and reassure Beijing’s Russian partner that theirs is a “friendship without limits”.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Wang announced that China will present its proposals for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
In a very vague way, the former Chinese foreign minister – who in his new role has become China’s top diplomatic envoy – stressed that his country is in favour of peace talks between Russians and Ukrainians.
However, what Chinese President Xi Jinping makes public next Friday, 24 February, on the first anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, seems less a real peace plan than a statement on China’s position on the conflict. In short, Beijing will not mediate between the parties, at least directly.
It is doubtful that it can get everyone to agree on the Ukrainian issue. Wang said in Munich that “China will resolutely curb acts of separatism and interference to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
In line with this stance, the Chinese proposal should provide for the withdrawal of Russian forces to restore the territorial integrity and full sovereignty of Ukraine, a point on which China’s friend “without limits” Vladimir Putin will certainly not agree.
Western governments too can only be sceptical about the Chinese peace initiative.
Wang's words are a collection of ambiguities, whereby the principle of territorial integrity applies to China on Taiwan, but not to Ukraine and its territories occupied by the Russian military.
Not surprisingly, while admitting that there may be friction and disagreement between countries, Wang stresses that managing the former with “pressuring, smear campaigns or unilateral sanctions is often counterproductive, and may even entail endless trouble.”
Pressure, smear campaign, and sanctions are obvious references to the United States.
Yet Wang forgot to mention that armed invasions and military aggression to resolve disputes between states are much more counterproductive. One may wonder whether he omitted to say as much in order to let his boss say it four days from now.
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