Since the start of Russia’s invasion, many countries all over the world hoped that China would condemn the decision, instead China has been increasing its rhetorical support for Russia.
A representative from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, stated that current China-Russia relations are a great success because they rose above the political and military trends that had been observed during the Cold War. He stated that one of the reasons this partnership is so effortless is because both states are intent on creating a new example of international relations.
According to Bloomberg, this statement was made during a briefing in Beijing on Friday. Zhao claimed that both countries share a “model” relationship because they respect each other’s sovereignty and do not interfere in their decisions of national security. He further added that this relationship shatters the “Cold War mentality” where countries would ally on the basis of geographic blocs.
Back in March, President Biden warned China that they will face serious consequences for providing Russia with material support and aiding in the Ukraine war. Although China has yet to provide physical support to Russia, its rhetorical support is enough to show their solidarity.
In a meeting, prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, both heads of state agreed on a “no limits” partnership between the two countries. This meant that the two states would stand by each other no matter what and would not condemn each other’s actions.
During this meeting, both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin agreed to help Russia and China with respect to their ambitions of including Ukraine and Taiwan as part of their territory, respectively. Many question how long this dynamic relation between the two nations will last especially in regard to the turbulent situation in the international system. It also raises some serious questions regarding Zhao’s claims that China and Russia steer clear of confrontation with other countries.
Experts believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s hostile attitude towards Taiwan show that these countries are intent on including sovereign nations into their territory through military conquest while interfering with their domestic politics.
There is much resistance to the Xi dictatorship in China. One example:
Posting information in lavatories reminds me of a scene in Polansky’s “The Pianist”, where Wladysllaw Szpilman’s brother did the same. Some scenes from Shanghai, of residents sneaking food over the walls, also remind me of the Warsaw Ghetto scenes in “The Pianist”:
https://imgs.search.brave.com/eQ1b2dWBAEDH5WU1pkcOYzyqiX-4-srRt-wjKQNcPqI/rs:fit:1200:676:1/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbmVj/bXMtcmVzLmNsb3Vk/aW5hcnkuY29tL2lt/YWdlL3VwbG9hZC9z/LS1wNTJoVmdZSS0t/L2ZsX3JlbGF0aXZl/LGdfc291dGhfZWFz/dCxsX29uZS1jbXM6/Y29yZTp3YXRlcm1h/cms6cmV1dGVycyx3/XzAuMS9mX2F1dG8s/cV9hdXRvL2NfZmls/bCxnX2F1dG8saF82/NzYsd18xMjAwL3Yx/L29uZS1jbXMvY29y/ZS8yMDIyLTA0LTA3/dDExMTUzMXpfMV9s/eW54bnBlaTM2MGtl/X3J0cm9wdHBfM19o/ZWFsdGgtY29yb25h/dmlydXMtY2hpbmEu/anBnP2l0b2s9ZG5r/clZ3T18
All lies will die; but the Truth lives forever.