Earlier this month, China’s president Xi Jinping sided with Russia in deeming a further expansion of NATO membership countries as unacceptable. The bear alliance of convenience is depicted in this week’s Kinamedia satire by cartoonist Niklas ”@Kludd-Niklas” Eriksson.
Xi’s comments were made during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Simultaneously, agreements of Russian oil and gas exports worth well over US$100 billion was signed.
And as the Russian attack on Ukraine has unravelled, Beijing condemns any international sanctions against Moscow, also abstaining its vote in the United Nations security council on a resolution deploring the Russian attack on Ukraine.
On the one hand, Beijing publicly calls for negotiations and a peaceful resolution of the ongoing war, avoiding to clearly pick sides in the ongoing conflict.
On the other hand, China is effectively offering Russia a political and economical lifeline, as we could clearly see during today’s press conference in Beijing:
#BREAKING: When asked about #Beijing's stance on #Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says "#China and #Russia are strategic partners, but not allies" and Beijing will not interfere in the matters of a third party.
— Katrina Yu (@Katmyu) February 28, 2022
Wang repeated that #Beijing is against sanctions and #China will continue normal trade and business with #Russia. Again, no mention of the word “invasion.” China is continuing to awkwardly play a middle line on #Ukraine and doing its best not to offend #Moscow.
— Katrina Yu (@Katmyu) February 28, 2022
#China’s Communist Party media is promoting a statement from #Russia’s Embassy in #Beijing. The statement refers to the “Neo Nazi’s” who “seized power in #Ukraine” in 2014 and how the Government in Kyiv “launched a war on its own people”.
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) February 28, 2022
This week’s cartoon can be viewed in full size via this link.
A full collection of Kludd-Niklas’ works for Kinamedia can be seen here.
