For subscribers
Why China won't join the West against Russia
The Chinese see no reason to join the ostracisation of Russia when they are likely to be next in the West’s containment offensive
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Footage of a virtual meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec 15 last year.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Leslie Fong
Follow topic:
Is China really caught between a rock and a hard place because it cannot reconcile its refusal to condemn Russia over the invasion of Ukraine with its long-avowed stand against any trampling of a nation's sovereignty?
Many analysts believe so and have argued that Beijing's equivocation over this contradiction can only diminish its standing in the world and damage its relations with the United States and the European Union. Some have even alluded to the possibility of a split within China's top leadership on whether to continue with what the world is sure to interpret as tacit support of Russia in defiance of world opinion.
