Sebastien Le Belzic 07:14, 16 June 2022
For its part, while Europe is showing its solidarity with Ukraine, China is openly showing its support for Moscow. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday assured his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of Beijing’s unwavering support. Even after three and a half months of war in Ukraine and international condemnation, the Chinese authorities are sticking to their weapons.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had not spoken to each other since late February, the day after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. But after three and a half months of war and international condemnation, the Chinese position has not changed an iota. The talk between the two presidents was reported by state media including the CCTV newspaper on Wednesday evening.
China backs Russia on ‘sovereignty and security’
Xi Jinping says he supports Russia on sovereignty and security issues. For Zhang Xin, professor of political science at Shanghai University, Moscow’s stance is perfectly understandable and, like the Chinese power, blames the Atlantic Alliance and the stance of Western democracies.
Territories “historically stolen or occupied”
“This military operation in Ukraine was mainly aimed at lawfully retaking certain territories that were ‘stolen’ or ‘occupied’ by other countries in the past. Now it’s time to take it back,” he explains into the Europe 1 microphone.
In return, China still hopes that its old Russian friend, as portrayed in the media, will lend its support even in the event of a war against Taiwan as the invasion threats become more pressing.