[The Epoch Times, March 1, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Zhang Ting comprehensive report) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered strong condemnation from Western countries and actions to support Ukraine. The CCP has shunned criticism of Russia, as well as pro-Russia and insulting Ukrainian women on Chinese social media it controls, putting Chinese citizens in Ukraine at risk. Some Chinese said that when Ukrainians saw Chinese faces, they thought they were here to sabotage or support Russia.
The CCP’s stance makes the Chinese afraid to say that they are Chinese
Sino-Russian relations have grown increasingly close, and so far, Chinese officials have refused to directly condemn Russia or define Russia’s actions as an “invasion,” instead placing the blame on the United States. Chinese state media has also adopted a pro-Russian view in its domestic reporting, while online posts supporting Ukraine and its president have been censored.
At the same time, on Chinese social media platforms, which are highly restricted and censored by the CCP, and where nationalist sentiments often dominate, a large number of small mainland pinks have liked the Russian invasion online, clamoring for more Ukrainians to be killed, and many even It also insulted Ukrainian women, saying that they could receive and host Ukrainian beauties.
Sun Guang, a Chinese video blogger who has lived in Ukraine for 20 years, told CNN that such “disgusting remarks” were later reprinted by Ukrainian media, fueling local doubts about the Chinese community.
“As soon as they saw that I was Chinese, they thought I was here to sabotage or support Russia,” Sun Guang said. He also said he was stopped and questioned by several residents earlier in the day when he was shopping for groceries.
“I don’t think the current situation in Ukraine is safe for the Chinese,” he said, while calling on Chinese netizens to show greater empathy. “Ukraine is suffering from war, people are dying every day,” he added.
On Saturday (February 26), a young man who claimed to be studying in Ukraine also posted on social media that he and his friends were afraid to call themselves Chinese.
“In Kyiv’s air-raid shelters and subways, people asked Chinese students if they (agreed with online comments), which made many students afraid to stay in the subway,” he said.
“I also want to apologize to Ukrainians, especially Ukrainian women,” he said.
After Weibo deleted some inappropriate remarks.
The CCP is unwilling to help the United States prevent Russia from invading the Chinese
Some 6,000 Chinese nationals are in Ukraine, according to Chinese state media. Unlike nationals of many other countries, they did not receive official Chinese instructions to evacuate Ukraine before the Russian invasion began, because Chinese officials rejected warnings from the United States and its allies about an imminent Russian attack. But now, some Chinese nationals who remain in Ukraine or live permanently in Ukraine are expressing concern for their safety — and not just because of the heightened conflict.
Last Thursday (February 24), the war started, and guns were fired in many places in Ukraine. The Chinese students who were stranded there fell into panic and said they were afraid. Most of them said they were overwhelmed and could only wait for the embassy’s notification. Many were afraid to stay at home and took refuge in bomb shelters. But the Chinese government’s evacuation operation has been delayed, and plans to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine on a chartered Chinese plane were shelved over the past weekend. Chinese ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong said late Saturday (February 26) that citizens now need to wait until it is safe to leave.
On February 26, Mr. Lin, who lives in Kyiv, Ukraine, tweeted that he was shot in the supermarket with several companions that day.
Mr. Lin said they lived in the northwest of Kyiv and had to go to the supermarket to buy things when they were shot. Two Ukrainians armed with assault rifles chased them as they opened fire. They raised their hands in surrender and made it clear that they were not Russian, and the other gave up. A Chinese traveling with them was separated from them on the road, and several girls who traveled with them cried in fright.
The New York Times revealed on February 25 that the CCP had long known that Russia was going to invade Ukraine, but it had always refused to help the United States prevent the war.
The report said U.S. officials had been providing Beijing with intelligence about the Russian buildup around Ukraine for three months and wanted China to tell Russia not to invade. But it was repeatedly rejected by Beijing.
The report also said U.S. officials received intelligence after a diplomatic exchange in December that Beijing and Moscow shared intelligence information the U.S. told China.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the Chinese embassy initially suggested that the Chinese should put the Chinese flag on the body of the vehicle. Many CCP mouthpieces, including CCTV, have made a big splash, calling on many students studying in Ukraine, employees of Chinese companies, and overseas Chinese to act quickly to make their own national flags in various ways. But after Ukraine’s rejection of Chinese people, the CCP instead told Chinese citizens not to “identify or display identifying signs.”
CNN reported that Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said the CCP’s response may have been due to an “underestimation” of the situation and of the West’s determination to support Ukraine and the capabilities of the Ukrainian military.
“Most of them think the war will be over in a very, very short time, maybe less than a week … and (Chinese citizens) will be protected by the Russian (new) regime,” Wu said.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#