China laughs at US sanctions against Russia… “It will benefit economically and diplomatically.”

Analysts are gaining strength that China will gain momentum in the context of Russia’s dispatch of military forces to Donbas, a conflict zone in Ukraine, and sanctions imposed by the United States and Western countries. This means that the eyes of the US, which had been holding China back, have turned to Russia, and Russia, facing sanctions, will have no choice but to rely on China. China is observing the situation with an ambiguous attitude, such as expressing support for Russia but opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On the 23rd, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) said, “The impact of US and Western sanctions on Russia on Sino-Russia economic cooperation will be extremely limited. will be,” he reported. “The stronger the sanctions, the more Russia’s dependence on China. “China is the place to benefit economically and diplomatically,” he said.

Until the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China has expressed its full support for Russia. Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin just before the opening ceremony on the 4th and showed off his closeness, saying, “There is no limit to the friendship between the two countries.” However, with the end of the Olympics, a change in China’s attitude was detected. On the 19th, Wang Yi, the State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of foreign affairs in charge of China’s foreign affairs, said on the 19th that “the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of each country is a basic rule of international relations, and Ukraine is no exception.” It is interpreted as an intention not to lean in one direction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a document recognizing the independence of the disputed Donbas region (Donetsk and Luhansk) in eastern Ukraine at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on the 21st. Putin has announced that the Russian government will carry out “peacekeeping operations” by sending Russian troops to these areas. Moscow = AP News

Sino-Russia economic cooperation continues. At the last China-Russia summit, Russia agreed to provide more natural gas to China. If Russia invades Ukraine, it appears that sanctions are in mind to halt natural gas exports to Europe. China will be able to purchase natural gas in large quantities at low prices. What’s more, you can buy the whole of Russia’s natural gas and oil fields. On the 18th, it was reported that China also purchased large quantities of coal from Russia.

In an interview with the SCMP, Anna Kirieva, a professor at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, predicted that high-tech sanctions will be added to Russia in addition to natural gas export sanctions. On the 22nd (local time), British daily The Guardian also diagnosed that “China has an opportunity to improve relations with the United States by leveraging the Ukraine crisis,” and “it is economically and diplomatically favorable to China.”

Beijing = Correspondent Ki-yong Kim kky@donga.com