Africa-Press – Mauritius. On May 24, 2023, the Rules-Based Order, at least as defined by America and its western allies, if it ever existed, suffered a mortal blow. Russia’s Prime Minister chirped that the bilateral ties between his country and China are at an unprecedented high level, as the two countries signed a set of agreements on trade and cooperation.
China rejects Western criticism of its ongoing embrace of Putin and Russia, insisting the relationship does not violate international norms. The declared position is that China has the right to collaborate with whichever country it chooses, and their cooperation is not targeted at any third countries.
The not-so-subtle message is that China rejects the West’s characterization of Russia as a pariah state out of step with the values that all nations must recognize and respect.
China has not distanced itself from Putin’s invasion and has pointedly rejected the idea that sanctions are warranted or will be respected by China. The only exception is that China does not wish to see secondary sanctions imposed on its companies.
China’s embrace of Russia is not new. In February 2022, just three weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s borders, President Xi Jinping hosted President Putin at the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Even as President Biden was saying that US intelligence assessed that an invasion was imminent, Presidents Xi and Putin released a declaration that their bilateral partnership is greater than a traditional alliance and that their friendship would know no limits.
It is ironic that just a week ago, China was promoting itself as a neutral peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine. This latest bilateral signing with Russia puts the lie to any claim of neutrality.
But, of course, no one should have been fooled by such claims. China presented no peace plan of any substance, and its approach would essentially validate Russia’s invasion and territorial gains.
China’s lean toward Russia has been transparent and blatant. In March this year, President Xi visited Russia and referred to Putin as a “dear friend. ” Meanwhile, since the invasion of Ukraine, China has increased its imports of Russian oil and trade with Russia is at $70 billion, up 40%.
China’s assertion that its cooperation with Russia is not targeted at any third countries is, of course, nonsense. China’s actions are clearly targeted at the US and are part of a broader and ongoing Chinese effort to dilute and diminish America’s geopolitical influence, standing, and even relevance.
Russian Prime Minister Mishustin got no blowback when he declared that the relationship between Beijing and Moscow is “characterized by mutual respect of each other’s interests, the desire to jointly respond to challenges, which is associated with increased turbulence in the international arena and the pressure of illegitimate sanctions from the collective West.
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