**
What is included in the Chinese peace proposal**
One year into the war in Ukraine, China presents a 12-point road map to end the fighting.
Three main axes, reaching a ceasefire, no to the use of nuclear weapons and attacks on nuclear power plants. A de-escalation tool rather than a real peace plan, so as not to disavow the government of Xi Jinping which claims to have a neutral position towards the conflict, even if in the document itself, which is called “Position of China on the political solution to the Ukrainian crisis”, the responsibility for the conflict that began on February 24 of last year is placed on the West, guilty of arming Kiev.
Beijing publishes the text on the anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s “Special Operation”. And he does so while waiting for the meeting between Xi Jingping and the head of the Kremlin.
The concrete proposals
China calls for a ceasefire, peace negotiations and the lifting of sanctions against Russia. Against the sanctions, Beijing hints at other countries that have abused the instrument and should instead give us a break by embarking on the path of de-esclation.
Without ever naming them, instead there is talk of the sovereignty of all countries to be safeguarded, there is no mention of any borders of Ukraine, of the ultimate territorial form or of Crimea (annexed to its territory by Russia in 2014).
The proposal also condemns the ‘Cold War Mentality’, words that refer to the Atlantic Alliance.
“The security of a region – continues the text – should not be achieved with military expansionism and it is requested that Ukraine not join NATO.
There is talk of the safety of prisoners, of stopping attacks against civilians, of protecting nuclear power plants and of facilitating the export of cereals.
The tone of the document is undoubtedly in favor of Moscow, comments O Li Mingjiang, professor of Chinese foreign policy and international security at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Is Beijing backing Moscow in the war against Ukraine?
China has made contradictory statements in this regard, arguing however that Russia was driven to war by NATO’s eastward expansion. However Beijing continues to claim a neutral position on the conflict.
We all remember that just before the conflict started, the two leaders attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and issued a statement that their governments had a “limitless” friendship.
Putin said he expects Xi to visit Russia in the coming months. Xi has yet to confirm.
Chinese ambiguity
China wants everything, Antony Blinken told NBC.
“Publicly, it presents itself as a country fighting for peace in Ukraine, but privately, as I said, we have already seen in recent months the provision of some assistance that goes directly to aid and abet Russia’s war effort.”
For the moment, China offers its political support to Russia, but there is no evidence that it is supplying weapons. Although the American services argue that this could be the next step.
As Blinken argued at the Munich Conference.
“We have information that makes us fear that they are considering providing military support to Russia,” he said, adding that he told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is one of the most influential men in the Beijing government, “this that would be a serious problem.”
And in any case since the beginning of the war, Russian and Chinese military forces have conducted joint exercises, most recently off the coast of South Africa in collaboration with the South African Navy.