Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated on July 2 that China does not want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, because then the US would turn all its attention to Beijing.
This is reported by the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, citing sources familiar with the negotiations between China and the EU.
Wang Yi told European Union foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas during tense four-hour talks that covered a wide range of geopolitical and trade issues. Some EU officials felt the Chinese minister was giving Kallas a history lecture and a lesson in realpolitik, partly focused on convincing Beijing that Washington would soon turn its full attention to the Far East.
The comment about Russiaʼs war with Ukraine contradicts Chinaʼs public statements. The Chinese Foreign Ministry regularly says China is "not a party" to the war, so some EU officials were surprised by Wang Yiʼs frankness. But he rejected accusations that China was financially or militarily supporting Russiaʼs war effort, insisting that if it were, the fighting would have ended long ago.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine remains one of the biggest sources of friction between China and the European Union, which has long criticized Beijing for supplying dual-use goods to Russia.
China denies the accusations and positions itself as a peacemaker that considers both Moscow and Kyiv partners. However, China has never criticized Russia’s invasion and has maintained close diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.
China is currently unhappy with the actions of the European Union. In the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, the EU intends to blacklist two small Chinese banks for violating previous sanctions. In this regard, Wang Yi has repeatedly promised to take retaliatory measures if the creditors are eventually included in the list.
The EU continues to criticize Beijing on trade issues, conducting or preparing dozens of investigations into subsidies, dumping and other unfair practices.
- Ukrainian defenders have repeatedly taken Chinese citizens prisoner. In April, President Zelensky stated that the Russian army includes at least 155 Chinese citizens.
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