Under pressure from the West on Ukraine, China looks to developing nations

Chinese foreign minister has been trying to rally support from countries including Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Zambia

Beijing doesn’t want to be pushed to ‘pick a side’ and is not alone in not wanting to make that decision, analyst says

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China has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and there are concerns it could help Moscow evade sanctions and provide military support. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:00pm, 26 Mar 2022

Beijing is seeking to rally support among developing nations for its position on Russia’s war on Ukraine, a move seen as a response to pressure from the West.

It comes after US President Joe Biden “made it clear” to Chinese leader Xi Jinping in a call last week that there would be consequences if Beijing provided material support to Moscow.

In talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the past week, top diplomats from Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Zambia have all voiced support for China’s stand on Ukraine and opposed sanctions against Russia, according to the readouts from Beijing.

While China has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, it has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and there are concerns Beijing could help Moscow evade the sanctions and provide it with military support. Beijing has also resisted pressure to use its leverage with close ally Moscow to help end the war.

Meeting Wang in southeast China on Sunday, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra called Beijing’s approach to the crisis “a correct and broad path”.