China does not recognize the annexation of Crimea and Donbas and calls the statement about “boundless friendship” with Russia rhetoric
China says it did not side with Russia in the war and that critics are misinterpreting the declaration of “boundless friendship” between Beijing and Moscow, which was signed on the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This was stated by Chinese Ambassador to the European Union Fu Kong on the eve of the visit of the European diplomatic mission.
He suggested that the ties between China and Russia may not be as boundless as their leaders once claimed.
– “Limitlessness is nothing but rhetoric,” Fu said.
As you know, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping signed a joint statement proclaiming “boundless” friendship between their countries just three weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Fu said that China has not provided military assistance to Russia and does not recognize its attempts to annex Ukrainian territories, including Crimea and Donbas.
According to him, Beijing did not condemn the invasion because it understands Russia’s claims of a defensive war against alleged NATO encroachment, and because his government believes that “the underlying causes are more complex” than Western leaders say.
He justified the fact that Xi has not yet called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Fu, the absence of a call is not a big deal because Xi is very busy and there are frequent lower-level contacts between the two countries.
– I know people are obsessed with the presidential call. The fact that President Xi is not talking to Zelensky does not mean that China is on Russia’s side on the Ukrainian issue,” Fu said.
The ambassador also said that China will not provide weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, either now or in the future. He criticized U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for his statement that China is considering providing Russia with lethal weapons.
Fu suggested that China is open to a deal with Europe on sanctions and investment. However, in addition to China’s position on Ukraine, there are obstacles related to human rights issues, among other things.
In 2021, the EU imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and entities over the treatment of ethnic Uighurs in the Xinjiang region. Beijing retaliated with sanctions against EU lawmakers, and the EU-China investment agreement has been politically frozen since then.
The ambassador expressed hope that both sides would lift the sanctions and finalize the stalled trade deal, known as the Comprehensive Investment Agreement. EU diplomats said that during private meetings in recent weeks, Fu suggested that China could unilaterally lift its sanctions if it helped unblock the deal and provided some form of reciprocity.
