Letters | Good historical reasons why China can’t stop the Ukraine war

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I am responding to the letter, “China can and should stop war in Ukraine” (July 25).

Recently there have been comments from around the world that China can help stop the Russia-Ukraine war. I seriously wonder whether your correspondent and those commentators, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are aware of the modern history of China and Russia. Do some of them simply want to put China in an awkward position or embarrass the country because of some bias against China?

The Russians long coveted Chinese territory. Due to Russian expansion during the Qing dynasty, the Chinese empire signed treaties with Russia that included the Treaty of Nerchinsk, the Treaty of Aigun and the Treaty of Saint Petersburg. The Treaty of Nerchinsk, which was signed when the Kangxi emperor was on the throne, was at least fairer to China. But under unequal treaties such as that of Aigun, China lost around 500,000 square kilometres to Russia, including present-day Vladivostok.

In 1969, there was a bloody border conflict between China and the Soviet Union, over Zhenbao Island.