Ukraine war: China risks isolation if it doesn’t distance itself from Russia, says Shanghai academic
- Hu Wei, who is associated with the State Council, says the war could ultimately see the US regain leadership in the West and China become more isolated
- In the article censored in his home country Hu urges haste: ‘There is still a window period of one or two weeks before China loses its room to manoeuvre’
In a controversial analysis widely shared overseas but censored in China, Hu Wei, vice-chairman of the Public Policy Research Centre of the Counsellor’s Office of the State Council, wrote that he expected Russia to face immense military and economic challenges while China would become more isolated by the world if it did not move to sever ties with Putin.
“China cannot be tied to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and needs to be cut off as soon as possible,” Hu wrote.
“Under current international circumstances, China can only proceed by safeguarding its own best interests, choosing the lesser of two evils and unloading the burden of Russia.
“At present, it is estimated that there is still a window period of one or two weeks before China loses its room to manoeuvre. China must act decisively.”
Hu’s article was first published in Chinese on March 5 as China attempted an increasingly challenging balancing act with Beijing, calling for peaceful negotiations and showing sympathy to Ukraine while refraining from openly criticising Russia.