Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that all sides must work to resolve the crisis in Ukraine “responsibly.” “China is ready to continue to play a role in this,” Xi said in a telephone interview. Despite intense international pressure, Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has repeatedly called for a negotiated settlement. China claims to be neutral in the war, but Mr. Xi has not yet spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Chinese diplomats and the state media often reinforce Russian propaganda and misinformation. Ahead of the invasion, Mr Putin traveled to Beijing for the Winter Olympics, where he met with Mr Xi. They issued a joint statement condemning NATO expansion and criticizing the West. Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said ties between Russia and China had remained “stable”. Last week, the two countries opened a new cross-border bridge in the Far East that they hope will boost trade, which is vital to Moscow’s ability to withstand the sweeping Western sanctions imposed in the aftermath of the war. “Economic and trade co-operation between the two countries is progressing steadily,” Xi told Putin, according to a reading of the call released by state media. He added that the $ 369 million Heihe-Blagoveshchensk bridge would be a “new channel of connectivity between the two countries”. “The Chinese side is willing to work with the Russian side to promote the stable and long-term development of bilateral pragmatic cooperation,” Xi said. “China is willing, together with Russia, to continue to support each other on issues of fundamental interest and major concern such as sovereignty and security.” [and] intensification of strategic coordination between the two countries “. Given the close public relations between China and Russia and the meeting of the two leaders in Beijing in the run-up to the invasion, there has been widespread speculation as to whether Mr Xi was informed of Mr Putin’s invasion plans. U.S. officials said this was the case and also claimed that Moscow had later requested military equipment from China, which did not appear to have been provided. Writing in the Washington Post in March, Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang denied both allegations, saying: “Allegations that China knew, agreed or tacitly supported this war are purely misinformation.” “China is the largest trading partner of both Russia and Ukraine and the largest importer of crude oil and natural gas in the world,” he wrote. “The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not good for China. “If China had known about the impending crisis, we would have done everything we could to prevent it.” The war in Ukraine has further aggravated relations between Washington and Beijing, which were already strained despite initial hopes of a return under US President Joe Biden. It has also increased pressure on the United States to provide more support to Taiwan, with many analysts warning that China could see Russia’s moves in Europe as a model for occupying the self-governing island. Speaking this week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he could not “speculate on what China will or will not do” when it comes to Taiwan. “Ultimately, what we do is try to shape the environment in which they operate, so that it influences what – in their decisions,” he said. “One of the things I think China needs to take into account is the response we have seen to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and so many countries have come together to resist that aggression, ensuring that Ukraine has the support that he also needed to make sure that Russia paid the price for the attack. “ With files from Alexandra Li and Reuters. Our Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
