/region/europe/china-hedges-bets-ukraine-crisis-88912/ Fact-based, well-reasoned perspectives from around the world Thu, 03 Mar 2022 11:19:50 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /region/europe/china-hedges-bets-ukraine-crisis-88912/#comment-28998 Tue, 21 Oct 2014 09:53:54 +0000 #comment-28998 Unfortunately, the article is a little long on speculation and short on evidence. Example: “China’s autocrats are ‘surely’ hoping for a Russian victory … in Ukraine.” The citations in the article give no sufficient support for this statement.
To indulge in speculation of my own, I suppose that the Chinese are not hoping for any victory by any party in the Ukraine, as they have their own axes to grind. Based on the evidence of their actions in the former Soviet states south of Russia (“new silk road”), and on the details of their gas dealings with Russia, they are much more likely trying to marginalize Russia and turn it into a vassal state delivering raw materials to China, in a similar function as some African countries. And Putin is doing his best to play into the hands of the Chinese, as he is risking ties with the West and Western investment.

]]>