More than 400 days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, China and India took a stand against the conflict launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022. The two Asian giants have so far opposed condemning Moscow for the invasion. The President of Ukraine voted for a resolution of the UN General Assembly on relations between the United Nations and the Council of Europe, which clearly referred to “the aggression of the Russian Federation of Ukraine”.
Borrell’s applause
The green light to the text of the resolution (approved last week by 122 votes to, 5 to and 18 abstentions) represents the first diplomatic change of course in the position of Delhi and Beijing against Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Russia, Belarus, Syria, Nicaragua and North Korea voted against it.
When will the war in Ukraine end?
The two countries have so far refused to condemn the Russian invasion, and while this move does not represent a real change of course in their foreign policy towards Moscow – especially given the commercial and military ties – the vote is still the first sign of the High. EU Foreign Policy Representative Josep Borrell “welcomed” the vote.
“The UN General Assembly adopted, by 122 votes, the resolution on cooperation with the Council of Europe, including major G20 partners such as China, Brazil, India and Indonesia. We welcome the resolution, which clearly describes the war against Ukraine as a ‘Russian aggression’. The Federation’,” Borrell wrote on Twitter.
The UN General Assembly has decided @A / Council of Europe @coe Cooperation with 122 votes, including key G20 partners such as China, Brazil, India and Indonesia
We welcome the resolution, which clearly describes the war against Ukraine as an “attack of the Russian Federation”.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) 2 May 2023
Why did Beijing vote for it?
So what exactly does Beijing’s vote mean? The non-binding decision was not specifically related to the war in Ukraine. The gist of the matter is gathered in one line in the premise of the 11-page resolution, and this line speaks of something completely different. According to the observations of Sergey Radchenko, professor at the Kessinger Center, in the UN resolution, the point regarding Ukraine is somewhat marginal and is only mentioned in paragraph 9 of the document. The analyst explains that the decision specifically “does not condemn” Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, but only “acknowledges” that it creates “unprecedented challenges” that Europe is currently facing (as can be read in the screenshot below, ed. .).
Radchenko also states that there were actually two votes during the decision debate. The first was whether to include paragraph 9 in the decision. China, Armenia and Kazakhstan abstained. However, since the 9th paragraph was passed, the entire resolution was accepted with an affirmative vote.
Beijing’s vote should be read in the light of recent developments between Russia and China. Beijing seems to want to consolidate its neutrality, first with the visit of Chinese leader Xi to Moscow and the removal of the phrase “unlimited partnership” from the joint documents, and then the phone call between the Chinese president and his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky. Presenting himself as a mediator in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
Here is an interesting development. China (as well as Armenia, Kazakhstan and others) voted “yes” to the UN General Assembly resolution (A77/L65), describing Russia’s actions against Georgia and Ukraine as an “attack”. Let’s take a closer look at what this might mean. pic.twitter.com/yTWNixXr4i
— Sergey Radchenko (@DrRadchenko) 2 May 2023
There is also another aspect that pushes the Chinese leader to show his independence from his friend Putin. Number one in the Chinese Communist Party, in fact, wants to avoid observing a Russian debacle because it will result in the defeat of an important ally in the fight against US hegemony and in the building of a new world order.
Timing of the vote and phone call between Xi and Zelensky
According to the UN website, the vote took place on April 26, the first phone call since the start of the war between Volodymyr Zelensky and Xi Jinping, which the Ukrainian president had hoped for for some time. to persuade leading China to pressure Putin to end the aggression.
During the meeting, Xi stressed that mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the “political basis of Sino-Ukrainian relations.” The issue the two leaders discussed does not seem to have won Moscow’s favor: The next day, the Kremlin made it known that the return to the 1991 borders was not a topic of conversation between Putin and Xi at the time. From the Chinese leader’s last Fly visit.
In any case, the immediate results of this phone call were the exchange of an ambassador to Beijing and a special representative to Kiev, and timid applause from the international community. Who knows how Moscow will welcome Beijing’s vote on the UN resolution despite the due considerations.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
