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CHINA AND RUSSIA: DEEPENING POLITICAL TIES
by Thebsbblog
24th February, 2022. A day etched deeply into the minds of every Ukrainian. A day signifying an ensuing year of struggle and bloodshed A day that would shock the international community to the core
On 24th February, 2022 tens of thousands of Russian troops stormed into the Ukraine capital; shockwaves reverberated around the world EU countries opened their doors, offering refuge to the thousands of Ukrainian citizens impacted by the invasion Food and energy prices started to escalate as people became more aware of the wider impact of the ensuing chaos
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Days before the one year anniversary of the war, one of China’s top diplomats, Wang Yi, met with Russian President, Vladimir Putin in Moscow with Wang claiming that both countries were prepared to strengthen their strategic cooperation Earlier on Wednesday, Wang met Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, where he stated that they were looking forward to reaching a “ new consensus ” on the evolving relationship between the two allies
According to Putin, "new milestones" have been reached in sectors like bilateral trade, and RussianChinese ties are progressing as expected. Putin thanked China and stated that the two nations were collaborating collectively on international issues
Wang arrived in Moscow only a few days after US officials shared concerns over China’s alliance with Russia and the effect that it could have on the prevailing war in Ukraine and merely hours after President Putin’s speech where he declared that he would be terminating Russia’s participation in its last nuclear arms treaty with the US.
China professed neutrality in the conflict however, have proceeded to widen trade ties and conduct joint military exercises China also presented a 12-point proposal for resolving the violence in Ukraine, calling for peace negotiations and a regard for national sovereignty
The 12-point plan however failed to express demand for Russia to remove its forces from Ukraine or denounce the invasion Moreover, the document was received happily by President Putin with President Biden stating "[President] Putin's applauding it, so how could it be any good?"
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there is also some distress that China will supply the Russian military with “lethal support” Warnings have also been issued by Blinken about the consequences that China will face if it decides to provide more support for Russia in this war.
