US, not China, adds fuel to Ukraine crisis

It has been widely reported that during his trip to China from Wednesday to Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will once again accuse China of "aiding Russia" in the Ukraine crisis. Absurdly, on Tuesday, the Senate passed a $95 billion bill to provide military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and even China's Taiwan island, with the House having approved the package on Saturday.

If the State Department's statement is indeed true that Blinken will discuss how to fulfill the commitments made by the Chinese and US presidents in November last year, the US Congress should refrain from blatantly interfering in China's domestic affairs and cease exacerbating the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East.

As for the Ukraine crisis, China neither created the crisis nor is a party to the crisis. In fact, China has been working to promote talks between the Russia and Ukraine, and released a document, titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis" to help end the conflict. And Chinese special envoy has traveled across the region to mediate among different parties, which shows China is playing a constructive role in helping resolve the Ukraine crisis.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a zero-sum game because it is not only the result of disputes between Russia and Ukraine but also a geopolitical showdown between Russia and the US-led West. So when the conflict will end depends on Russia, Ukraine, the US and NATO. Actually, the Russia-Ukraine conflict would have ended, if not prevented, had the US prioritized peace instead of being obsessed with maintaining its global hegemony.

On the other hand, despite building a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, China and Russia are not military allies, and China advocates for the two sides to adhere to the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party.

The sustainable development of Sino-Russian cooperation not only stems from their historical ties, but also benefits from their geographical proximity and strong economic complementarity. China-Russia goods trade had been growing at a fast rate before the Ukraine crisis, with bilateral trade rising by 35.9 percent in 2021, according to Chinese official data.

Besides, Russia has been expanding trade with Asian countries since the Western countries imposed sanctions on it following the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2022. Yet Sino-Russian trade grew by only 29.3 percent and 26.3 percent in 2022 and 2023 respectively after the Ukraine crisis broke out.

China has reiterated that it is not supplying weapons to either side in Russia-Ukraine conflict, and has nothing to do with the "Russian defense industrial base". Its relationship with Russia is one of normal economic cooperation, which no country has the right to interfere in. Hence, China will not tolerate any snide remarks against its normal relations with Russia.

The US needs to look inward, at US companies' activities in many other countries. According to Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, trade between Russia and the US was $5.5 billion in 2023, while the trade between Russia and Japan, and Russia and the Republic of Korea reached $9.7 billion and $15 billion respectively. And while Russia-India trade hit $64.9 billion, Russia-Turkiye trade was worth $56.5 billion. It should also be noted that Russia is still supplying gas to Europe via pipes through Ukraine and Turkiye.

Sino-Russian trade, meanwhile, is focused on traditional goods rather than weapons or defense equipment. Coal, oil and natural gas accounted for the largest percentage of China's imports from Russia, with the import of Russian crude rising by 24 percent in 2023 to 107 million metric tons. The other products China imports in bulk from Russia include copper, copper ore, timber and seafood, with the import of Russian agricultural and food products rising significantly.

China, on its part, mainly exports vehicles, smartphones, toys and computers to Russia, with the export of buses and trucks soaring over the past years. This should make it more than clear that China has nothing to do with the "Russian defense industrial base".

In the San Francisco summit in November last year, the Chinese president told his US counterpart that for two large countries like China and the US, turning their backs on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to try and remodel the other, adding that confrontations and conflicts will have unbearable consequences for both sides.

It is necessary therefore for the two countries to develop mutual respect and engage in win-win cooperation. But some US politicians, fearing that other countries might replace the US as the global hegemonic power, are desperately trying to conceal the US' failure to address domestic problems by hyping up external threats. They have also been trying to divide countries into rival camps, which is not conducive to improving Sino-US relations or US development.

China attaches great importance to, and is committed to, developing friendly relations with the US. It is willing to hold candid and constructive discussions with the US to normalize bilateral relations. But the US needs to take true actions to improve bilateral ties, because that would benefit the people in not only the two countries but also the rest of the world.

The author is a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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