War in Ukraine from China’s Perspective: Limited Options for State that Cannot Reject Existing Policies

Abstract

As the war in Ukraine becomes protracted, there is discourse comparing China and Russia as tyrannical states versus states based on the principles of democracy. However, while China appears to support Russia’s opposition to NATO’s eastward expansion, it abstained from voting on the resolution condemning Russia in the UN General Assembly, and, at the same time, China has shown consideration for Ukraine by saying that it values sovereignty and that Ukraine is no exception. China’s response seems by no means simple. This article analyzes China’s views of the war in Ukraine with a focus on domestic policy options in 2022, a special year of personnel changes and political “special appointments,” while attempting to deal with an increase in Novel Coronavirus cases and reaching the government’s growth target. It then describes the main principles of Chinese diplomacy and its vision of the world. Internationally, China and Russia have maintained a strong relationship even during the war in Ukraine but it is difficult to agree that China and Russia are monolithic. Finally, the article discusses how Japan-China relations have been affected and some of the challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region that have been revealed by the war in Ukraine.