Russia-China Ties Grow Closer as Beijing Blames US of Being "Main Instigator" of Ukraine War

In an interview with the Russian state-owned news outlet Tass on Wednesday, Zhang Hanhui, China's ambassador to Moscow, praised his nation's close ties to Russia while blaming the United States for the "Ukraine crisis."

According to the UN, Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 resulted in the deaths of at least 5,400 civilians and the displacement of more than 10 million people.

China Calls US "Main Instigator" of Ukraine Crisis

Per Fox News, fighting has consolidated in the eastern Donbas area five months into the conflict as Ukrainian military attempt to prevent Russia from taking any further territory. Prior to the invasion, Putin made an effort to improve ties with China by traveling to Beijing for the Winter Olympics and announcing in a joint statement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that their cooperation knows "no limits."

Although China seems to agree with Putin's justification for the conflict, the nation has so far refrained from offering any direct military backing or helping the Kremlin evade sanctions, according to US officials. The ambassador's defense of the invasion of Ukraine, which led to tens of thousands of deaths, the obliteration of entire cities, and the flight of more than a quarter of the population, was strikingly similar to Russia's own justification.

According to Zhang, refraining from meddling in other people's domestic affairs is the most important principle for maintaining international peace and stability. It should come as no surprise that he applied this theory to denounce Washington's Taiwan policy but not Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He claimed that the US was employing the same strategies in Taiwan and Ukraine to "revive a Cold War mentality, contain China and Russia, and provoke major power rivalry and confrontation." He also criticized Nancy Pelosi for visiting the self-governing island nation of Taiwan last week, which China claims as its own, as per WION via MSN.

Expert Says Russia, China Ties Were Due to "Interests"

Neil Melvin, director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), claimed that it would be misleading to refer to China and Russia's relationship as an alliance, instead describing it as one that was established by a "coincidence of interests."

Melvin stated in an interview with Express.co.uk that the conflict in Ukraine has revealed "very clear limits" to the relationship between the two nations, which they had previously regarded as being "without bounds." He said that although China has been "maintaining a verbal support," "it hasn't at all gone to Russia's aid."

Before Russia decided to attack Ukraine, Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping of China met up for the Winter Olympics in Beijing. In a joint statement, the two leaders declared their relationship as having "no limits." Putin denied having invasion plans for Ukraine at the time the comment was made. Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia as China's top oil supplier in June notwithstanding Western sanctions against it due to the conflict in Ukraine. China became one of Russia's major oil customers, providing financial backing, although China has never formally endorsed Russia in its decision to attack Ukraine.

Melvin said that it would be improper to categorize which of the two superpowers poses the greatest threat to the world economy and national security when considering China and Russia separately and in light of the most recent events regarding China-Taiwan relations.