China's "strategic neutrality" on Ukraine
shaping new international norms
In the absence of a concrete peace proposal from China, the West has continued to attack its position in an attempt to maintain its public opinion dominance.
According to Ye Tianle, Assistant Researcher at MSS-linked China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), the “peace talks” in Jeddah have presented China “with a golden opportunity to shape new norms.”
Over the weekend, on August 5, delegates from more than 40 countries attended a high-level conference convened at President Zelenskyy's request in the Saudi port city of Jeddah to discuss Ukraine's position on ending the war. Russia was conspicuously absent, whereas China attended through its special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui.
"On August 5-6, 2023, Ambassador Li Hui, Chinese Government Special Representative on Eurasian Affairs, traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to attend an international conference on Ukraine.
"China participated in the conference and positively engaged in discussions with a number of countries, including the Ukrainian side, on nuclear safety, food security, and other issues, with the goal of promoting peace and facilitating negotiations 劝和促谈, fully communicating with all parties, and actively promoting peace.
"As Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated, China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis." Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, called China's participation in the meeting a "historical breakthrough."
"According to the Financial Times, all parties present welcomed China's participation in the meeting, and the Chinese side expressed an interest in continuing to participate in the peace talks.
"The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is complex and difficult to resolve, and making substantive progress at a single meeting is not an easy task. China's participation in the meeting is a positive signal of its willingness to listen to all parties' views and proposals and to promote the formation of a consensus that will eventually lead to a political solution to the crisis.
"Against this backdrop, China faces a number of opportunities as well as challenges:
“Opportunities
"First and foremost, the Ukraine crisis should be resolved through negotiations.
"Second, the international community's call for promoting peace and facilitating negotiations is growing stronger by the day.
"Third, promoting peace and facilitating negotiations presents China with a golden opportunity to shape new international norms. With the rise in power and wealth of Western colonialism and imperialism over the centuries, the international community has been transformed into a zero-sum game in which the law of the jungle rules and the strong prey on the weak, and the struggle for supremacy and hegemony has become the international norm.
"Carl von Clausewitz's notion that "war is simply a continuation of political intercourse" is widely accepted in the West. However, with the rise of independent Third World countries and emerging economies following World War II, peace and development have become the staple of our times, and the international norms dominated by the hegemony of the West are being challenged in unprecedented ways.
"Against this backdrop, Chinese initiatives such as the Community with a Shared Destiny for Mankind, the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) have enormous room for expansion and fertile soil to grow.
"The desire of the vast majority of developing countries for a peaceful international environment in order to ensure their own development provides an excellent opportunity for China to lead the way in establishing new international norms 引领新国际规范提供了良好契机.
“Challenges
"First, the conflict's prolongation has made it more difficult for China to promote peace and facilitate negotiations. Since time immemorial, countries have had various types of relations, whether intimate and close, peaceful and amicable, or mutually hostile at daggers drawn 或亲密无间、或和平相处、或剑拔弩张、或兵戎相向.
"However, few cases in history have been as complex and intractable as that of Russia and Ukraine. The two sides have been feuding for hundreds of years, and the current conflict is the result of the West's ongoing "fanning of the flames" and pressure on Russia, as well as the eruption of long-standing contradictions 矛盾 between the two peoples.
“Fundamental disagreements exist between Russia and Ukraine on issues such as territorial boundaries, sea lanes, energy, and trade; meanwhile, the West has not stopped the flow of aid but continues to escalate the situation by providing weapons.
"When the Kakhovka Dam was bombed, the Ukrainian side actively retaliated, and both sides continued to target civilian infrastructure. It will take time for the international community, including the West, to accept China's position of strategic neutrality, emphasis on historical perspective, and call for calm dialogue.
"Secondly, finding simple answers to complex questions is difficult... The "procrastination-oriented" 以拖为主 policy of the West will not solve the problem. It is the driving force behind Russia's and Ukraine's refusal to budge on this peace proposal, as they are concerned that the "Minsk agreements" will resurface, jeopardizing their interests, and are uninterested in the peace talks.
"Third, the West has repeatedly condemned China's position. Since the conflict broke out, China has maintained its neutral stance, urging all parties to remain calm and actively promote a cease-fire. The US and the West, on the other hand, have been attempting to "lump" China and Russia in an "anti-Western" camp, as they have continued to slander China, claiming that it has supported Russia and provided it with military aid.
"On a global scale, it has rallied its allies to join other countries in targeting China's initiatives aimed at promoting peace and facilitating negotiations, falsely accusing it of attempting to defend Russia's "aggression" 侵略企图.
“The Washington Post falsely claimed in May, during the visit of Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui to Russia, that China had recognized Russian-occupied territories and was pressuring the Ukrainian side to make concessions.
“In the absence of a concrete peace proposal from China, the West has continued to attack its position in an attempt to maintain its public opinion dominance.
“While recognizing China's participation as "constructive," the Financial Times stated that "China's participation in itself is a sign of Russia's isolation."
"Disputes between countries and nations are never as simple as "you are right and I am wrong." The evolution of the Ukrainian crisis to the present stage is directly related to the natural defects in the European security pattern, the West's strategic expansion and hegemonic policies, and the outdated Cold War mentality that is still "lurking in the shadows" 阴魂不散.
"It is inherently contrary to the spirit of "freedom and equality" that some nations preach that China is allegedly escalating conflicts while making positive efforts for peace.
"Those who walk straight don't worry about a crooked shadow, and those who walk steadily won't be stirred up by the wind" 身正不怕影斜，行端不惧风狂. When the time is right, the international community will undoubtedly acknowledge China's adherence to the fairness principle in resolving the Ukrainian crisis.”