Opinion | How to persuade China to truly work for peace in Ukraine
China has gained strategically from Russia’s war. It has to be convinced that actively rebuilding Ukraine would bring even greater benefits
China has continued to back Russia diplomatically, economically and militarily. The Chinese government avoids referring to Putin’s aggression as an “invasion”, and even though it has not formally recognised Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territory, it has repeatedly abstained from United Nations votes condemning Putin’s war.
Publicly, China echoes Russia’s narrative, blaming Nato and the West for the conflict. Chinese officials and state media accuse the United States of being “the real provocateur of the Ukrainian crisis” and have warned it against further confrontation.
For his part, Xi has shown no signs of reconsidering the Sino-Russian “comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era”. Shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration this year, Xi and Putin pledged that their countries would “deepen strategic coordination, firmly support each other, and defend their legitimate interests”.
Similarly, China is poised to import more energy from Russia in 2025 (likely at heavily discounted prices), which will help the Kremlin finance its war effort. Since 2023, Russia has become China’s top crude oil supplier. Despite the risk of penalties, small regional Chinese banks have continued processing payments for sanctioned Russian companies. While China has not openly provided direct lethal aid, it has exported to Russia a steady stream of dual-use items, notably microchips essential for precision-guided weaponry.