ZHOU Bo, a fellow at Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University (CISS) and a China Forum expert, was recently interviewed by The Economist on Ukraine, where his views were quoted in an opinion piece titled “China has honed its justifications for taking Russia’s side” published by the newspaper on March 26.

The article begins with a quote from Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng’s remarks at the 4th International Forum on Security and Strategy held by CISS that “arms dealers, bankers and oil tycoons” from a certain large country (i.e., the United States) are making “highly immoral” fortunes out of the war, while the people of a less powerful country suffer from years of traumas of the war. The crisis in Ukraine and NATO enlargement is a mirror for observing US alliance-building in the Asia Pacific, a trend that, if left unchecked, would “push the region into a pit pf fire,” Mr. Le added.

The article then moves on to an argument offered more discreetly by Chinese scholars, which asserts that China’s interests are simply not served by breaking with Russia, citing Zhou Bo’s view that China is taking a balanced approach to the war. He predicts that if China were to side with the West in condemning Russia’s actions, Western governments would pocket the concession and call it China merely doing the right thing. There is little chance that broader, long-term US pressure on China will ease, because China is not about to change its political system, he adds. As a result, “If China ditches Russia, it is only a matter of time before America comes after China once more.”

The writer also points out that, deflection and anti-Americanism aside, there is a logic to China’s framing of the war in Ukraine as the latest example of global disorder provoked by the West. Seen from Asia, at least, intensifying sanctions on Russia may gravely disrupt food and energy markets and global supply chains; and there is a common disquiet among developing nations at being asked to take “black or white” moral positions on complex international questions. Western governments are frustrated that a “peace-loving” China will not condemn Mr. Putin—that is to misread China, a country that has the ambition to rise but for now remains focused on its own development.

Read the article here: https://www.economist.com/china/2022/03/26/china-has-honed-its-justifications-for-taking-russias-side