Balancing act by China and India; Japan warns of strong response

Reluctant to wade into the Russia-Ukraine crisis, China is doing a delicate balancing act to show it is not taking sides.

At an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, its United Nations ambassador Zhang Jun urged caution and a peaceful resolution.

"All parties concerned must exercise restraint and avoid any action that may fuel tensions. We welcome and encourage every effort for a diplomatic solution," he told the meeting.

Beijing has been circumspect in its response to Russia's military build-up around Ukraine, calling for dialogue and refusing to be drawn into picking a side.

But it surprised observers with a strong joint statement with Russia issued ahead of the Beijing Olympics that saw it piping up for the first time about the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), the US-led military alliance in Europe.

Chinese state media have been quick to blame the United States for stoking tensions and playing up the threat of war.

But there have also been intense discussions within the Chinese leadership about how to handle the Ukraine crisis.

Beijing's longstanding foreign policy dictates non-interference; it also needs to balance its strategic partnership with Russia against the US and Europe to keep relations with the West from plunging further.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi came out with a more explicit response, but continued to tread a fine line.

All countries' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected and safeguarded, and "Ukraine is no exception", he said.

But Mr Wang also dismissed Nato as a product of the Cold War and questioned the impact of its expansion for Europe's stability.

Russia's "reasonable security concerns should be respected and taken seriously", he said.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and ordered in troops, Mr Wang spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

China is concerned about the "worsening" situation, Mr Wang said yesterday, again urging all parties to exercise restraint and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation.

The Chinese embassy in Ukraine issued an advisory warning Chinese nationals to stay away from "unstable" areas and to stock up on food supplies.

Countries such as the US, Germany and Britain have told their citizens to leave the country.

India was yesterday preparing to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine, as it continued to call for restraint and greater diplomatic effort to prevent a military escalation in the country.

An Air India flight has left for Ukraine to bring back Indian citizens. The Indian Embassy in Kyiv tweeted that additional flights were being added for Friday, Sunday and March 6.

At the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Mr T.S. Tirumurti, India's permanent representative to the UN, said that the immediate priority of those involved in the Ukraine situation should be "de-escalation of tensions taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond".

India has close ties with both Russia and the US, and New Delhi has refrained from taking sides.

Russia remains a close defence partner of India, while its proximity with the US has deepened amid a convergence of interests mainly over the growing Chinese threat in the region.

India is in the midst of acquiring S-400 surface-to-air missile defence systems from Russia and needs a waiver from the US, which has imposed sanctions on Turkey for acquiring the same missile system from Russia.

India is also a member of the Quadrilateral Security Forum (Quad) with the US, Australia and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said yesterday that Russia's actions in Ukraine were unacceptable and in violation of international law.

He warned that should Russia invade Ukraine, Japan will join its allies and prepare for a strong response, including sanctions, against Russia.

In South Korea, President Moon Jae-in said his country will join international efforts in resolving the crisis. He stressed that "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected", and urged domestic efforts in examining the impact of the Ukraine crisis on South Korea's economy.

Singapore, too, called for a peaceful settlement to the conflict in accordance with international law.

 • With additional reporting by Nirmala Ganapathy and Chang May Choon