Editor’s note: The situation in Crimea, Ukraine, has escalated in recent weeks. A recent referendum showed that the overwhelming majority of Crimeans want emancipation from Ukraine and want to join Russia (though both Kiev, the EU, and the US have questioned its authenticity). The situation has caused friction between cold war rivals, the US and Russia. But where does China stand on the matter? This article, translated from Chinese media, shows us a glimpse of what China’s various options are, albeit through the use of some controversial stereotypes. 

Political tensions between the West (led by the US) and Russia have grown increasingly since the political crisis in Ukraine and the presence of Russian troops in Crimea. After Crimea voted for independence through the March 16 referendum, plans are being made to incorporate the region into the Russian Federation, so US-Russian relations have entered a tense Cold War-era style confrontation.  

The US-Russia dispute has caught the attention of the world and of China. Should China side with the US or Russia? Results of a recent online opinion poll show overwhelming support for China’s northern neighbor.

Obama Putin on a funny face. Source: ifeng.com

Side with Russia?

China considers the Russian viewpoint as in line with China’s national interests. Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Western countries, led by the US, have been hostile towards China. The West has implemented a long-term strategy of containment towards China using various blockades including sanctions. Multiple issues that encroached on China’s internal affairs including Taiwan, Tibet and human rights, have interfered with diplomatic relations. Japan, along with other nations, has continued to implement containment strategies against China and has remained China’s number one enemy. Russia is actually historically an enemy of China as well, but at this moment the world is shaped by shared interests and there are no permanent enemies or friends. The US is the world’s largest superpower and the biggest obstacle to China’s rise to the top. A joint alliance between China and Russian against the United States is in line with China’s national interests and current power strategy.

Side with the US?

However, there is another point of view that China’s national interests are currently more in line with the US. Russia is traditionally recognized as the most aggressive state in the world. In the past, Russia has annexed Chinese territory three times the size of France, seven times the size of England and fifteen times the size of Jiangsu province. In recent decades, Russia has experienced a rapid rise in its overall national strength. “Putin the Great” has flexed his “Russian muscle” in order to show the world Russia’s power. In historical disputes with bordering nations, Russia has repeatedly taken a tough stance and put forth that, “there is no negotiation in a territorial conflict.”

The US, as the world’s only superpower, has been playing the role of the “world policeman,” since the Second World War. However, while the nation often sends troops abroad, it does not annex other countries. The US has never annexed Chinese land and also supported China in the Sino-Japanese War with money, supplies and human resources: on the Tuofeng air route alone, the US sacrificed 468 airplanes and almost three thousand pilots.

The so-called containment strategy and outflanking of China by the US, and the US’s policy towards Taiwan are a result of the large and established democracy’s natural wariness and instincts and are not necessarily aimed at China itself. The US’s so-called interference in Tibet and human rights stem from the democratic nation’s system of values, and is directed against the government but not meant to make an enemy out of China.

Side with neither?

Some advocates for siding with America have pointed out that the Chinese government has already signed a joint agreement with the Ukrainian government and has made a commitment to “firm bilateral support for issues concerning national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.” Ukraine has been dismembered by Russia in its political crisis and urgently needs China to bring justice and give support. Siding with Russia puts the Chinese government in an embarrassing position in which China goes against its own rights and interests. In China, the Taiwanese independence movement and the separatist movement in Xinjiang are both growing more critical every day. If China supports Russia it hurts its own interests in the process. If someone holds a “referendum” in Taiwan or Xinjiang how will China be able to seek the moral support of the world?

There is a third-party opinion in this dispute; the idea that foreign strategy is more important than ideology and should be based on pragmatism. The current Russian-US conflict is beneficial for China and China should not side with either party. Rather than pick a side, China should benefit from both sides and watch from the sidelines while the two fight it out and then reap the rewards. This is certainly in line with China’s national interests.

Source: http://blog.ifeng.com/article/32222282.html?touping

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Keywords: Should China Side With The US or Russia referendum Crimean US and Russia