China and Ukraine: The Chinese debate about Russia’s war and its meaning for the world
Alicja Bachulska and Mark Leonard
11 July 2023
https://ecfr.eu/publication/china-and-ukraine-the-chinese-debate-about-russias-war-and-its-meaning-for-the-world/
Summary
- Interviews
with Chinese thinkers show they largely do not regard the war as a
major break with the past, but as another manifestation of their
country’s longstanding rivalry with the US.
- Intellectuals
believe America is using the war to encircle China – but that
Washington has failed to rally many others internationally behind its
cause.
- Most are critical of Russia’s tactics but want to stand by Moscow to prevent the US winning.
- On
Taiwan, Western support for Ukraine has neither deterred nor encouraged
an invasion. But scholars are scouring the American and European
responses to the war for clues to how the West might respond to a
potential escalation over Taiwan.
- Perhaps most radically, the war may accelerate Chinese efforts to become less economically intertwined with the West.
Full report is attached.