Financial Times: Will China abandon Russia under pressure from the European Union?
In an article on the Financial Times newspaper, said that the EU is seeking, through the upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, to discuss China’s support for Russia as a key issue.
Ursula von der Leyen described this support as “enabling Russia’s war economy”.
Von der Leyen emphasized that her goal is to pressure Beijing to distance itself from supporting Russia, thus pushing Moscow to negotiate with Kyiv in good faith, an approach that has so far been unsuccessful.
The article noted that China’s foreign minister emphasized that his country doesn’t want to see Russia defeated in Ukraine, which is certainly not a surprise, as China doesn’t want any unrest to disturb its neighbor and its nuclear arm.
The last thing Beijing wants is to see a “liberal Russia that is likely not interested in a partnership with China,” a concern China shares.
The article believes that “instead of understanding China’s concerns, the European Union is taking an extreme position, including the need to return Ukraine to its 1991 borders and to prosecute Russian war criminals—most of whom are senior leaders—which sends a signal to China that the EU is serious about reaching a negotiated solution that doesn’t serve the Kremlin’s interests”.
China also believes it may not get much from the European side in return for pressuring the Kremlin regarding a peace agreement in Ukraine.
The article believes that European moves in relations with China include concerns that go beyond simply supporting Russia in Ukraine, such as Beijing’s advances in sectors such as artificial intelligence.
For example, Europe appears to be indifferent to India’s massive purchases of Russian oil, which is one of Moscow’s strongest supporters during the war.
In any case, China doesn’t appear ready to abandon Russia anytime soon, and its indifferent to Europe’s threats of sanctions and other actions, according to the author.
China has many leverage points that will allow it to maintain its partnership with Moscow in the coming period, and its already preparing for a post-Putin Russia.
Among these pressure cards is that the West needs much of China’s rare earths.
China could also disrupt the supply chains for the drones used by Ukraine in its war against Russia.
