24.03.2023
At the just-concluded Xi-P meeting, two things impressed people: First, the economic and strategic cooperation between China and Russia has become closer. Second, on the issue of the Russia-Ukraine war, China is still trying to maintain an appearance of neutrality.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) A commentary in Neue Zurich Zeitung pointed out that Beijing’s contradictory performance in the Russia-Ukraine war may eventually put China in an embarrassing situation. The commentary, titled “China Struggling to Find a Balance,” reads:
“There is no suspense about who will be the leader of the Sino-Russian anti-Western camp. At the beginning of the Xi-Pu talks, Putin said: ‘Your development makes us envious.’ He said that China’s amazing, leap-forward The development has attracted the attention of the whole world. It is no accident that Putin used the keyword “Chinese-style modernization” in the current Chinese National Congress.This shows that in order to please this last remaining ally, Putin has gone to extremes.The war of aggression against Ukraine launched by Putin will make the Russian economy more dependent on China in the next few years. Putin also said that in the future, RMB will be used for settlement in third-party transactions. Regarding the Siberia-2 gas pipeline project, Putin did not get what he wanted, and it is clear that Xi Jinping wants to further lower the price.
The Ukraine war was a fringe topic in the Xi-P talks. The two dictators seem to be more intoxicated by the vision of the two countries to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations in order to resist their common enemy – the United States. Putin desperately needs Xi’s help, and Xi is wasting no time in making the most of the war’s predicament: cheap gas, a huge market, and allies in the United Nations Security Council. However, the hidden risks of calling a war madman like Putin cannot be underestimated. “
The comment pointed out that the United States has made it clear that once China provides military assistance to Russia, it will impose severe sanctions on China. If so, Xi Jinping’s “Chinese dream” of common prosperity will come to naught.
“If Beijing wants to avoid an embarrassing situation, it is not too late. It only needs to skillfully keep a distance from Russia. In the joint communiqué issued at the end of this state visit, there is no longer the word ‘unlimited partnership’, and China also Carefully trying to open a dialogue with Ukraine. After all, Xi Jinping still maintains hope for constructive cooperation with the European Union. However, as in the Cold War, the world is becoming increasingly divided into camps, and Xi Jinping’s attempt to step on two boats will only serve become more difficult. For the West, it is better to increase dialogue with China than to increase deterrence. If Beijing believes that the break with the West is only a matter of time, then Xi Jinping will become unscrupulous, and he will then provide arms to Russia.”
Regarding the discussion in the United States on whether the Chinese social software “TikTok” should be banned, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” commented:
“In Germany, the discussion about TikTok is still in its infancy, but related discussions should not be understood as interference with freedom of communication, but as an attempt to defend a free space. On the issue of getting rid of energy dependence on Russia, Germany has delayed too much time, and Germany has not paid enough attention to China’s economic dependence. Fortunately, Germany has begun stricter reviews on the issue of acquiring companies in sensitive fields, and even Germany’s communications in the future Companies will not be able to use components from the Chinese company Huawei. This will not be easy, of course, but it will be a small cost compared to the pain of being under the surveillance of China.
As we all know,China is not a country ruled by law.This is exactly what differentiates them from those Internet giants in the United States.. Although these American companies also do whatever they want, they are, after all, under the control of the national framework of the rule of law, and are also subject to the transparency requirements of free public opinion. Conversely, we have no idea what the authoritarian regime in Beijing, allied with Butcher Putin, does with our data, any more than we know how Chinese and other minorities are tortured and abused in re-education camps. Behind the hilarious TikTok videos, the victims of these authoritarian regimes are watching us. “
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