China's EU Ambassador: Beijing Didn't Support Russia's Decision to Invade Ukraine

China's ambassador to the European Union, Fu Cong, has emphasized that the People's Republic of China did not support Russia in the war against Ukraine or provide them with weapons. The ambassador made this statement before the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to China. This was reported by The New York Times on Wednesday, April 5.

Just three weeks prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Presidents Vladimir V. Putin and Xi Jinping signed a joint statement declaring an unrestricted friendship between their countries.

However, China's ambassador to the EU has declared that China was not on Russia's side in the war, and that some people "deliberately misinterpret this because there’s the so-called 'no limit' friendship relationship." He further commented that the phrase "no limit" is merely a rhetorical statement.

According to Mr. Fu, China has not offered any military aid to Russia, nor did it acknowledge Russia's attempts to annex Crimea and Donbas. He explained that Beijing refrained from condemning the invasion due to its acceptance of Russia's defense claims against NATO advancement and its belief that the underlying causes are more complex than suggested by western leaders.

He also defended the failure of President Xi to call President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, stating that frequent lower-level contacts between the two countries exist and that Xi is very busy. "I know people are fixated on the presidential call ... The fact that President Xi is not speaking to Zelensky does not signify that China is on the side of Russia on the Ukrainian issue," the ambassador emphasized.

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Mr. Fu criticized the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, for spreading "lies on TV" about China's possible provision of weapons to Russia. He also pointed out the incoherence in the EU's policy towards China, as expressed by von der Leyen's speech, but welcomed her suggestion of the need to establish new ground rules for the relationship rather than decoupling.