WSJ article ‘part of typical Washington disinformation campaign against Beijing over Ukraine crisis’, Chinese experts say
After Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba openly refuted a report published in a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article claiming that China had offered an immediate ceasefire and recognition of the “occupied territories of the ‘Ukraine as part of Russia’, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday it took note of the rebuttal. Some Chinese experts called the article “typical disinformation that is part of the smear campaign launched by the United States against China regarding the Ukraine crisis.”
In a rare move, Mr Kuleba provided the clarification in a video message after an article appeared in the WSJ, which, citing unnamed Western officials, claimed that China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs Li Hui “carried a clear message during his trip to Europe: American allies in Europe should assert their authority and demand an immediate ceasefire, which would leave Russia in possession of the parts of its small neighbor that it currently occupies” .
After the article was published, Ukraine’s foreign minister immediately contacted his colleagues in European capitals visited by Mr. Li, and none of them confirmed that negotiations had taken place to recognize the territories currently controlled. by Russia, Ukrainian media reported.
“I urge you to keep a calm mind and common sense, not to be fooled and not to react emotionally to every post,” Kuleba said in an article by Ukrainian media outlet The New Voice of Ukraine.
“I noted that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister has publicly stated that he has contacted the parties concerned. No country indicated that special envoy Li Hui had made the statements mentioned in the WSJ article,” Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out during a routine press conference. Monday.
“From May 15 to 26, Mr. Li visited Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, the European Union (EU) headquarters in Belgium, as well as Russia, maintaining many contacts and exchanges with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” Mao said. Li Hui expounded on China’s position and proposals, listened to all parties’ opinions and suggestions, and garnered more international consensus, while all parties said they attach great importance to Li’s visit. and fully recognized China’s positive role in promoting the peace talks, Mao added.
They also welcomed China’s call to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and the UN Charter, and said they expected China to continue to play a constructive role, the spokeswoman said. .
“The article in this American media aims to smear China, create the theory of a ‘China-Russia alliance’ and completely ignore China’s neutral position, while the United States seeks to undermine the image China’s international community in the name of their own strategic interests,” Zhang Hong, a research associate at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Monday.
“On the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity, China has always had a clear position, but the US media is spreading such nonsense, which only shows that the US side is not seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis, but undermines efforts in the hope that the war will drag on so that it can further contain, sanction and isolate Russia,” Zhang argued.
According to him, “this is not the first time that American media, under the influence of Washington, have disseminated disinformation about China regarding the Ukrainian crisis. Some media such as the New York Times and CNN have claimed that China is ‘considering’ sending weapons to Russia, and have distorted the Sino-Russian relationship by calling it an ‘alliance of autocracies’”.
“Even before Mr. Li left for this trip, some Western media downplayed the prospects of the trip and even attacked China’s motives,” Cui Heng, assistant researcher at the Center for Russian Studies, told the Global Times on Monday. from East China Normal University.
“The latest WSJ article is part of the disinformation campaign that even some Ukrainian officials who have friendly ties to the West, like Mr. Kuleba, can no longer tolerate. And that shows how baseless and childish these claims were,” Cui said.
The US media, like some US officials and observers, has also questioned China’s intentions to promote peace and negotiations. For example, the WSJ article argued that China was “attempting to test the West’s unity,” and also highlighted “skepticism by some about China’s intentions due to ‘close Beijing with Moscow”.
“Frankly, I don’t agree with this assessment [that China is on Russia’s side],” said Fu Cong, ambassador of the Chinese mission to the EU, in a recent interview with the British magazine The New Statesman. “China is very clear that it supports the territorial integrity of all countries. Of course, if we are to realistically pursue a lasting peace in any region, the legitimate security concerns of all parties must be respected,” Fu said.
“China is trying to facilitate peace. As I said, China has good relations with Ukraine and Russia,” the Chinese diplomat recalled.
When asked why China hasn’t condemned Russia, Fu replied, “I think that at this stage, actually, a simple condemnation would not solve the problem. This could reduce the space needed for diplomacy.”
“If all countries take the side of one country, then who will be able to mediate for peace? he asked.
This article is originally published on french.china.org.cn
