The Week In Opinion
China and choosing sides in the Ukraine war; Russia's energy weapon
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US President Joe Biden at the virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping from the Situation Room at the White House in Washington on March 18.
PHOTO: REUTERS
China continues to urge negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, while adopting an ambiguous strategy towards both sides - providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine but emphasising that "it takes the one who started the issue to resolve it", implying that the US and Nato are "those who caused the Ukraine crisis".
Following the video call between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last Friday, the US continues to pressure China to choose sides in the next few days or weeks, says Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan in this commentary. At the same time, there is an intense debate within China about the Russia-Ukraine war.
Yu adds that overall, within China, the official position continues to garner mainstream support, which forms the basis for the Chinese government insisting on peace talks and objecting to the West, forcing it to take sides.
But the US will not allow China to distance itself from the Russia-Ukraine war, or even reap incidental benefits. With the growing damage of the war on Russia, Ukraine and the global economy, the US and its allies will crank up the pressure on China, which will make it more difficult for China to maintain its moral position and strategic benefits.
Russia's energy weapon
Having been encouraged to fight to the last Ukrainian, the Western alliance has made it clear that it will not intervene on Ukraine's behalf, says associate editor Ravi Velloor in his commentary.
At some point, the war must end and a peace settlement must be drawn up. However, it is clear even at this stage that the US will work overtime to cut Europe's dependence on Russia for energy, and wants nothing less than a wholesale redrawing of the global energy map.
"American producers can at best produce a tenth of the more than 10 million barrels per day produced by Russia," he says.
"While fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - of shale transformed the US energy business, and the US could conceivably raise production, such moves will face resistance from investors who have been burned before by shifts in energy use."
This is why Washington is turning to former pariah states like Venezuela, which it previously placed under sanctions, he adds. It has also tried a similar tack with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of which deal with Russia in the Opec-plus format, and have increasingly hedged positions in a Chinese direction.
More in Opinion
- Credence should not be given to President Vladimir Putin's claims of Russia's right to impose its views of how the world should be shaped, however righteous he might think his cause.
- What you haven't heard about the secret cyberwar in Ukraine.
- Global food costs could rise another fifth or more, as the conflict in Ukraine impacts future harvests.
- How will global corporate tax moves under BEPS 2.0 affect Singapore?
